A Love So Deep
by AAmama
Summary: AU - Post Season 10, but I'm pretending that the series finale did not include the 7 year jump to the future. Lois and Clark's most exciting moment in their lives is overshadowed by the re-emergence of our favorite villain, Lex Luthor. DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING!
1. Chapter 1

Lex Luthor sat in the dilapidated building in which he called home. Actually _home_ may not be as correct of a word as _hideout. _For the last 3 years, he combed over all the evidence he had been able to gather trying to piece together what happened on that fateful day - the day where he forgot everything. The last thing he was sure of was that he was in a room with a striking red-haired beauty - a red-haired beauty who had been fatally stabbed and lay on the floor 3 feet away from him. Was he a murderer? Who else could it have been? Who was this woman? Better yet, who was _he? _Through his own research, he found out he was Lex Luthor, and he was worth billions. The only problem was he had no means to access his money. What bank did he use? What was his bank account number? With lack of money at his disposal, he found a lack of people who wanted to help him. He pieced together that he must not be likeable. Through that same research, he found out that the dead woman who was stabbed was Tess Mercer - his half sister, and owner of the Daily Planet. All he remembered about that day was seeing a dead body in front of him, and knowing that he had to clean up the mess. There was no way that he could be charged with this heinous crime. Even without his memories intact, Lex knew how to clean up a crime scene. That much was just instinctual. He dumped her body in Crater Lake where it washed up on shore a few weeks later. The news coverage on her murder was extensive, but Lex was most interested in the columns put out by the Daily Planet. Since she worked there, she must have friends there; and since Lex knew he had most likely killed her, he wanted to know what she knew that was worth taking her life. Two reporters by the names of Clark Kent and Lois Lane were the ones who kept coming up in his investigation, as amateur as his investigation may be. Not only did they write exclusive articles on Tess' death 3 years ago, but they also wrote a large amount of articles on the world's newest superhero: Superman. Superman surfaced the same day that Tess was killed. Was that a coincidence? How did these reporters get so much coverage on the world's biggest superhero? He couldn't put his finger on it, but he couldn't shake a nagging feeling that there was more to these two than meets the eye, and from that feeling, a plan was born.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lois Lane was approaching the Daily Planet sans husband on a Thursday morning. Superman had been working in Hawaii from the time they left work the night before. There had been a major volcano eruption on the island of Oahu that was in major need of Superman's assistance. An entire town was in danger of burning, and hundreds of houses, and thousands of people's lives were in danger.

"Let me get that door for you, Ms. Lane," a familiar voice said, coming up behind Lois, and chivalrously opening the door for her.

Lois looked over her shoulder to see the handsome smile of her husband coming up behind her. "Not only do you have piercing blue eyes and a killer smile, but you're a gentleman, too?" Lois asked flirtatiously. "Men like you don't come along everyday."

"You have no idea," Clark added, smiling mischievously at her, playing along while pushing his glasses up further on the bridge of his nose. While everyone at the Planet knew that the two were married, and they didn't try to keep their relationship a secret, they tried to keep their relationship relatively professional in front of their colleagues. Privately, however, they enjoyed flirting slyly with one another.

"I should snatch you up before some other lady gets her hands on you," Lois said, continuing the facade as they walked towards the elevator.

"Sorry, Ms. Lane," Clark told her as they stopped in front of the closed elevator. "But I'm already married…." He paused as the elevator doors opened and the couple stepped inside. He waited until the doors closed all the way to grab his wife by the waist and pin her up against the back wall of the elevator. "...to the most incredibly sexy woman in the world." He leaned in and kissed her passionately.

"Good-looking, a gentleman, and knows just what to say to make a woman feel like a million bucks?" Lois asked once they pulled away. "You really must be out of this world." Clark sweetly smiled at her, and gave her a sweet peck on her lips. "I missed you last night," Lois said, breaking their role-playing. " I wasn't sure if, or when, you would make it into work today. How's Hawaii looking?"

"Superman saved the day," Clark told her. "The spewing lava was stopped, and the hot lava flowing down the streets was diverted so that no homes or businesses were damaged."

"Way to go, Superman," Lois encouraged. "Maybe I can track him down later for a quote for page one?"

Clark leaned in close, put one hand on the wall on one side of Lois' face, and his other hand gently pulled her chin up to look him in the eye. "Doesn't Superman always give you what you want?" Clark asked, his voice lowering to a soft, suggesting whisper as he brought his face closer to his wife's once again.

"Are we still talking about reporting?" Lois asked, meeting his eyes with a flirty smile.

Clark responded to her question with another deep kiss. His hand gently stroked the side of her face while his other hand snaked around her waist to pull her body closer to his. "What else would we be talking about?" he asked seductively.

Their flirtation was halted by the _ding_ of the elevator door, alerting them that the doors would open momentarily.

"We'll continue this conversation at home," Lois told him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek and adjusting his tie as the doors opened.

"I'm counting on it," Clark said, giving her a small wink and a big grin while pushing his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

They stepped off the elevator and Lois surprised Clark by grabbing onto his forearm. He turned around and saw her eyes fluttering as though she might pass out. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, and his brows furrowed in concern for his wife.

"Hey, hon," he said softly. "What's wrong? Are you OK?"

"Yeah," she said as she put her hand to her forehead. "I'm fine. I just had a little wave of dizziness hit me when the elevator stopped moving." She looked around and saw that a small crowd had gathered. She waved her hand at them to shoo them away. "There's nothing to see here, people! I just had a small bout of low blood sugar." The crowd dispersed, and Lois stepped out of Clark's embrace to smooth out her clothes.

"You're OK now?" Clark asked.

"Yeah, I really am," she assured him. "That came from out of nowhere, but I feel fine now."

"OK," Clark said smiling at her. "I'll go get you a donut."

Lois and Clark headed into their joint office that they had recently promoted into, and Clark grabbed Lois her favorite maple donut on the way.

"Thanks, Smallville," Lois said, gratefully accepting it and devouring it in seconds.

Clark just looked at her with his eyebrow raise in disbelief. "Are you sure you don't have a super speeding ability, too?" he asked her. "I'm pretty sure I can't eat as quickly as you just inhaled that donut."

"I'm carb-loading," Lois said, her voice muffled with donut. She chewed the donut filling her mouth and swallowed before continuing her defense. "On this job, you never know when you'll be sent out in the field and unable to eat. I need to carb-load to keep my energy high for a ground-breaking story."

"Absolutely," Clark agreed, in a slightly sarcastic tone. "Should I get you another one? You know, in case we break a big story?"

"Ha. Ha," Lois said. "No thanks. I feel better now."

They both took a seat at their own desks and got to work. A few hours later, Clark pushed his chair away from his desk, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey hon, I need a break," Clark told her. "How about I take you out to lunch?"

"Lunch sounds great," Lois answered. "That donut just went right through me, and I am starving!"

"What are you in the mood for?" Clark asked putting his glasses back on his face.

"Hmmm, a big tuna sub sounds delicious," Lois said. "Oh, how about that little mom and pop cafe around the corner? They have the best chocolate pie!"

"Carb-loading again?" Clark asked with an eyebrow raised, and a smirk.

"That big story could drop any minute," Lois answered back, matter-of-factly. "A girl has to be prepared at all times."

The couple headed out of the Planet, and Lex watched them from behind the safe disguise of a janitor. When he saw them get on the elevator, he wheeled his cleaning cart into their office and immediately started rifling through their drawers, papers on their desk, and anything that might give him insight into this very attractive, very well-known, _power_ couple. Just thinking of Lois Lane and Clark Kent as a "power couple" made Lex Luthor's blood boil. If he had learned anything about himself during the last 3 years, it was that he craved power. Money can buy power, and Lex was willing to use any means necessary to get his hands on some money, but knowledge also buys power….and knowledge was often even more powerful than money.

After trying unsuccessfully to hack into each of their computers for an entire hour, Lex was forced to stop his search for fear of Lois and Clark returning from lunch and catching him in the act. He was leaving their office as he heard Clark's voice heading his way.

"Do you feel better now that you've carb-loaded?" Clark lovingly teased.

"Judge all you want, Mr. Hardbody, but I burn it off as quickly as I put it in!" Lois snapped.

Clark's expression went from light-hearted and playful to taken aback and a bit perplexed. "Honey, I was just kidding with you," he assured her as they continued walking into their office and shut the door. "I'm sorry if I offended you." He put both hands on each of her hips and lovingly squeezed them. "Besides, I thought you knew that your body drives me wildly crazy." He pulled her in close and his lips closed over hers.

"I'm sorry, Smallville," Lois admitted, slightly embarrassed over her over-reaction, after they pulled away. "I don't know why I just snapped at you."

"Apology accepted," Clark said, smiling at her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lex knew that he needed more professional help in hacking into Lois and Clark's computers. To hire help, he needed to get his hands on some money. The First Bank of Metropolis was his target. It had the smallest lobby, and only one security guard on duty at a time. He decided that, in order to do this the right way, he needed to familiarize himself with, and memorize the layout of the bank. He wore a disguise everywhere he went. After finding out that Lex Luthor was not well-liked, and all of Metropolis suspected him for Tess Mercer's murder, he went into hiding and figured out creative ways to disguise himself: sometimes it was sunglasses and a toupe; sometimes a glue-on beard and a hat; the list went on. Today's disguise of choice was big, chunky glasses, a glue-on mustache, and a beanie on his head. Lex went into the bank and put his name on a waiting list, pretending he wanted to talk to someone about opening an account there. While inside the waiting room, he used his phone to secretly snap a few photos so that he could plan his robbery. He heard a woman's voice loudly speaking, and looked up to see Lois Lane and Clark Kent heading to the front doors to exit the bank.

"I mean, seriously, who in this day and age, still deposits checks at the actual bank? Ever hear of direct deposit? It's so much faster, you don't have to drive or walk all the way to the bank. Smallville, seriously, it's time to join the 21st century," Lois told Clark.

"Look, I know it's old-fashioned, but I thoroughly enjoy talking and interacting with people. If I direct deposited my check, I never would have known that it was our teller's birthday. You heard her yourself; she said that my telling her happy birthday and giving her a big smile just brightened her day," Clark told her.

"Clark, have you looked in the mirror? Your smile would brighten any woman's day," Lois smirked as they left the bank.

Lex continued watching the public display of affection as the couple stopped walking right in front of the bank's waiting room window.

"I wear a wedding ring, and I had my hand resting on the small of your back," Clark said. "It's obvious that we were in there as a couple. People just genuinely like good, friendly, positive interaction with others."

"Ugh, Clark," Lois said with a grin. "That's one of the many things I love about you. You genuinely see the world, and all people, through rose-colored glasses. I just hope that if we ever have a baby, he or she gets your wholesome, honest, trusting personality."

"A baby?" Clark asked, raising his eyebrows in disbelief. "Is that really something that you're interested in."

"Of course," Lois said. "We don't even know if we'll be able to make a baby together, but lately, I've been starting to think I'm ready to start talking about it. Perhaps we need to take a trip up north to talk to dear old Dad about our situation."

Clark smiled warmly at her and loosely wrapped his arms around her waist. "Do you think the world is ready for a little Lane-Kent baby?"

Lois grinned. "The world needs a little baby with your charm and good heart, and my fiery, feisty personality. Those characteristics together would make one very _super_ baby." She winked playfully at him. Lois saw the expression on Clark's face change from smiley and playful to serious as his eyes darted away from her. "Go," she said, knowing that his super hearing picked up a cry for help. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I love you."

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Clark said. "I love you, too." With that, he ducked off into the crowd of people walking down the sidewalk to find his favorite alley.

Back inside the bank, Lex watched with perplexity at the couple right outside the window. They seemed so happy, so in love, so _content._ Lex couldn't remember his love life, but he was sure he had never known love like what was presented in front of him. Though he couldn't hear the conversation that had taken place between Lois and Clark once they stepped outside the bank, he could see their facial expressions and studied their body language enough to know that each of them made up half of a whole. Lex smiled - an evil smile. Knowing how much and how deeply Lois and Clark loved each other was advantageous information for him….should he ever need to use it.


	2. Chapter 2

Later that evening, Superman had finished the save that had called him away from Lois while leaving the bank, and an additional one, and decided to surprise Lois with a delicious veal parmigiana, spaghetti, garlic bread, and wine - all bought from their favorite Italian restaurant. Superman ducked into the alley behind the restaurant, ordered the food, and took it home.

When he entered the apartment, he was surprised to see all of the lights off except from a faint glow coming from the bedroom.

"Lois?" he called out. No response. He put the food down and went to find her.

He walked into their bedroom where the faint glow was coming from. Clark smiled at the scene before him. A table of romantic candles, rose petals strewn on the bed, and Lois wearing nothing but a black lacy bra and matching black lacy panties and a short, sheer black robe on top - but was fast asleep. Clark crawled onto the bed beside her and started planting soft kisses on her cheek and forehead.

She stirred and opened his eyes sleepily at him. "Mmmm, you're back," she said with a small smile.

"Just got back," he told her. "What's going on? What's all this?"

"I wanted to surprise you," Lois said. "When we were talking about trying for a baby earlier, I just thought, you know, even though we don't know if it's possible for us, there's no reason that we can't start trying. I think we're pretty good at the baby-making activities anyways. So I wanted to set the mood and make our room look romantic, but then I guess I just fell asleep the later it got."

"Honey, it's 6:45 in the evening," Clark said. He put his hand to Lois' cheeks and forehead. "You've been kind of off all day today. You almost fainted getting off the elevator this morning. I hope you're not getting sick."

"No way," Lois said. "Lois Lane doesn't get sick. I don't have time for that."

"Good," Clark said gently laying his body on top of hers. "Because, wow Lois, you look absolutely stunning right now. If you're still up for it, I'm ready to practice baby-making activities all night long if need be."

"I'm sure you are," Lois said with a sexy smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around Clark's neck as his head dipped down and she felt him plant little kisses along her earlobe and neck. "Mmmm," she groaned in pleasure. Clark's lips met hers and Lois felt her whole body heat up.

Clark gently rolled her over so that she was lying on top of him and pulled her robe off of her shoulders, down her arms, and flung it off to the side. "God, you are breathtaking," he told her breathlessly. "You really look - amazing."

Lois saw some red take over his eyes for a brief second, and she smiled proudly at the reaction she received from her husband. "I never get tired of seeing that look in your eyes," she said smiling at him. "I love you so much."

Clark smiled back. "I love you, too." Clark gently pulled Lois' head back down so that their lips met again. He pushed some of her hair back and his hands found their way down her back to her bra clasp. Before he had time to unhook it, Clark felt Lois pull away from him suddenly. "Lois? What's wrong?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

Lois dashed off the bed and ran into the bathroom. Clark heard Lois heaving into the toilet. He followed her in there.

"Lois? Honey, are you OK?" He squatted on the floor beside her and held her hair back out of her face as she continued heaving. After a couple of minutes, she finally pulled her head out of the toilet bowl.

"Ugh, I don't know what's going on with me," Lois said weakly once she had emptied her entire stomach's contents. Clark sat on the bathroom floor and Lois laid her head in his lap while Clark just gently stroked her hair.

"Hey, Lois, have you considered the fact that maybe….you're already pregnant?" Clark suggested.

Lois rolled onto her back to look Clark in the eye - her eyes wide. "No….I mean, I couldn't be. We don't even know if we could….." She went quiet and Clark saw her eyes wander off as though she were thinking. "Now that I think about it, my period was due to start last week, and I haven't gotten it yet. I mean, I guess it would make sense. I've been dizzy, ravenous, tired, nauseous…" her voice trailed off.

"A little moody," Clark muttered.

Lois glared at him and he smiled sheepishly.

"Maybe I should _blur_ to a convenience store and buy a pregnancy test before I put my foot in my mouth any more," Clark suggested.

"Good idea," Lois agreed. She sat up slowly with Clark's help.

"You feel OK?" Clark asked holding onto her.

"Yeah," Lois told him. "A little weak, but I think I'm fine now." She saw Clark was staring intensely at her stomach, and she immediately drew her knees up to her chest to impede his view. "Don't even think about it, Smallville! You're not going to find out if I'm pregnant before I do!"

"Sorry," he said. A big smile spread across his face. "I'm just excited that there might be a baby in there."

"Why don't you blur your way out of here so we know for sure?" Lois asked.

"Do you need me to get anything else while I'm out?" Clark asked.

"Maybe some plain crackers?" Lois asked. She put her hand to her stomach. "My stomach is still a little 'blah'."

"OK," Clark said kissing the top of her head. "I'll be right back."

He _whooshed_ out of their bathroom window and returned a few minutes later. Lois had moved out of the bathroom and put one of Clark's flannel button-downs on with just the bottom few buttons actually buttoned up. She was sitting on the edge of their bed nervously chewing on her fingernails. Clark sat down beside her, drawing her into his embrace. "Are you ready to find out for sure?" he asked as he handed the pregnancy test to her.

Lois smiled nervously at him. "Yes." She took the test from him and shut the bathroom door.

Clark waited anxiously for her return. He wanted so badly to peek inside, but she wanted to be the one to tell him the news, and he wasn't about to take that away from her. After what seemed like an eternity, the bathroom door opened. Lois stood in front of him holding the pregnancy test and wearing a big smile on her face.

"Get ready, Smallville; my body and hormones are about to go through some _super_ big changes."

A big smile spread across Clark's face as he supersped to Lois' side. "It's positive? You're pregnant?"

Lois showed him the positive sign on the pregnancy test. "Looks like that 'super' baby of ours will be here before we know it."

Clark picked Lois up in a big hug and spun her around. "See? I told you earlier today that your body drives me wildly crazy."

Lois smiled warmly at him. "We're really doing this, huh? We're going to be parents?"

Clark returned the warm smile. "Yeah. We're really going to be parents." He leaned in and kissed her passionately. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Smallville," Lois said.


	3. Chapter 3

The bank alarms rang out as Lex Luthor raced out of the bank with his backpack full of cash. It hadn't been the most professional bank robbery, but he did it in the middle of the night when nobody was there. He only took a small amount of cash, so as to make his crime a low priority and keep the police off his trail. He ran just a block away where he had a car parked. He jumped in the back seat of the car, and ripped off the black ski cap that covered his entire head and face, and the black hoodie he wore inside the bank. He pulled a gray t-shirt on, a gray baseball cap turned backwards, and donned some black chunky glasses. Most criminals would be fleeing the area as quickly as they could. Not Lex. He planned on sticking around to see this Superman guy in action. He thought his blood boiled when he thought of Lois and Clark as a "power couple", but the mere thought of a man with super powers and good looks outraged him more than he thought was possible. Lex hid his clothes and backpack under a big, black blanket that he had brought with him, and exited his car nonchalantly. He had staked out an alleyway that had a full view of the bank while he could stay hidden in the shadows.

Police sirens wailed as they neared the bank. Police officers rushed out of their squad cars into the bank, weapons drawn. They were only in there for a brief minute when Lex heard a _whoosh_ and saw a man in tights and a cape swoop down.

"Officer, what's going on?" Lex heard Superman ask.

"Somebody tripped the alarm," one of the policemen answered. "We found a drawer that had been pried open, but he didn't even try to get into the vault. The alarm must have surprised him, and he only got away with a few hundred dollars at most."

_The alarm surprised me? _Lex thought smugly to himself as he continued watching the exchange between Superman and the police officer. _If he only knew. Lex Luthor doesn't get surprised. I know exactly what I'm doing._

"Thanks for checking in, Superman, but we've got it under control," the officer said.

"Alright then," Superman told him. "Have a nice night."

_My nemesis, _Lex thought sorely to himself as he watched Superman fly off into the night. _Surely you go somewhere to relax when you're not flying around like a caped god. Just you wait. I'm about to find out all I can on you and the Kents, and take some of the power and popularity you all possess to rise up once again in Metropolis._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So, when should we start telling people that I'm pregnant?" Lois asked at breakfast the next morning.

"Today," Clark said with a smile. "My mom will be absolutely thrilled. You know Chloe and Oliver will be excited, and we need to start prenatal care as soon as possible - probably with Emil just in case this doesn't evolve like a normal pregnancy."

Lois' face fell a bit. "I didn't even think about that," she said. "You're just so human-like that I sometimes forget that you're not an Earthling."

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Clark reassured her. "If it makes you feel better, I can go talk to Jor-El, and see if he knows anything about Earth-Kryptonian genetic compatibility."

"I think we need him to weigh in on this," Lois agreed. "I don't want to tell anyone at work for at least another month, though. Perry is going to put me on all the stupid little puff pieces like the Metropolis Dog Show as soon as he finds out."

"Don't you think you need to let him put you on the puff pieces?" Clark asked her. "You like to get caught in a lot of sticky situations. Once you get bigger, you're not going to be able to run as fast or punch as hard. Criminals see pregnant women as weak and vulnerable. In other words - easy targets."

"Clark," Lois said matter-of-factly. "You've known that I'm a strong, independent woman for as long as you've known me. Superman always comes in and saves the day right when I need him. I'm pretty sure he's going to keep an even closer eye, and ear, out for me now that I'm carrying his baby."

"Are you saying you're not even going to consider telling Perry you're pregnant and taking puff pieces to ease my worry and anxiety?" Clark asked, already knowing what her answer would be.

"I'll compromise with you. I'll consider telling Perry that I'm pregnant within the next 3-4 months," she said with a smug grin on her face.

"The next 3-4 months?" Clark asked. "That's not a compromise. You'll have to tell him then because you'll be starting to show."

"Take it or leave it, buddy," Lois told him.

Clark smiled in disbelief at her. "You know, sometimes I think that Kryptonite is not my biggest source of weakness. You are."

"I'm not your biggest source of weakness, Smallville. I'm your biggest source of strength." Lois got up from her chair and sat sideways in Clark's lap with her legs draped over the edge of his chair.

"Which is why I try so hard to keep you safe and from putting yourself deliberately in harm's way," Clark explained, wrapping his arms around her. "You _are_ my biggest source of strength. I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you; and now I don't know what I would do if anything ever happened to you _or_ this baby of ours." He placed one hand on her currently flat stomach.

"I'll promise you this," Lois said. "I will not _deliberately _put myself in harm's way. This little baby growing inside of me is important to me, too. I love him or her so much, and we only found out about his or her existence 72 hours ago. I would never jeopardize the health of our baby. But please, can we just hold off on sharing the news at the Planet for a few weeks?"

Clark smiled. "Now _that _is a compromise that I can live with," he told her. He gave her a sweet kiss on the lips, and she stood up to take her breakfast dishes to the sink. Clark heard the familiar _ding_ from his cell phone, alerting him that he had a text message. He checked his phone and saw a message from Chloe.

'**I need you at Watchtower immediately,' **the message read. '**Bring Lois, too. It's important.'**

"Hey Lois, I just got a message from Chloe. She said that she needs us both at Watchtower immediately, and that it's very important," Clark told her.

"Well, let's get going," Lois told him.

"Wait, I don't know if I should fly with you," Clark said. "Maybe we should drive."

"Clark, it would take us over an hour to get to Watchtower if we drove, and you said Chloe said it was important. Besides, pregnant women fly in an airplane every day, and I'm sure some of your rescues have involved pregnant women."

"Well, yeah…" Clark agreed. "It's just different when it's my own wife and child."

"We're totally fine," Lois said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now pick me up and let's fly. I can't wait to hear what juicy news my cousin has for us."

Superman flew himself and Lois to Watchtower where Chloe was busy typing away on a computer. Superman set Lois down and spun into his Clark clothes. Lois sat down on a couch near where Clark had landed, and Clark could hear she was breathing heavier and slower than normal as though she were trying to keep herself from throwing up. He went over to her right away.

"Lois, are you OK?" Clark asked, putting his hand on her back.

"Mmm hmmm," she said weakly. "Maybe flying wasn't the best idea for me afterall."

"I'm sorry," he said giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Just give me a minute and I'll be OK," she promised.

"OK," Clark said, rubbing the small of her back and giving her a kiss again as he got up to go see Chloe. "Chloe, what's up?"

"You're not going to believe what the Watchtower cameras caught last night," Chloe said, pulling up surveillance camera footage.

"Wait, that's the bank footage from the alarms going off at the Metropolis Bank last night," Clark said. "I got there and the police said that only a few hundred dollars was stolen, and it wasn't a Superman priority."

"Well, that much is true," Chloe said, her fingers moving wildly over the computer keyboard. "My cameras caught the robber leaving the store and getting into a car. If you zoom in when the robber takes his ski cap off…." her voice trailed off as she zoomed in on the robber's face as he took the cap off.

Lois got off the couch and went and stood by Clark to see the footage.

"It's Lex…." Clark said slowly, in a state of disbelief.

"I'm gonna be sick," Lois said as she dashed away from the computer and heaved into a nearby trash can. Oliver came in just in time to hear Lois throwing up.

"Whoa, Lois, did you have a wild night last night?" he asked with a smirk. He walked over to Chloe and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. "Morning, hon." Chloe smiled back at her husband.

"Lois, are you OK?" Chloe asked turning and looking at Lois. "I figured it would take much more than seeing Lex Luthor to make you lose your lunch like that."

Clark super-sped to get her a cold, damp wash cloth and she re-joined the group around Chloe's computer. "Thanks, Clark," she said putting the cold rag to her face. She looked at Clark to get his nonverbal consent for the news she was about to share. He smiled and gave her a small nod.

"Man, you two have some super mind-reading abilities," Oliver said, noticing the nonverbal communication going on between the two.

"This wasn't exactly how we wanted to tell you, but Clark and I have some exciting news to share," Lois said with a big smile on her face. "I'm pregnant!"

"Pregnant?!" Chloe squealed jumping up to give Lois a big hug. "Congratulations!"

"Congratulations, Little Boy Blue," Oliver said clapping Clark on the back and shaking his hand. He stopped joking and was serious for a minute. "I know that this is something you've wanted for a long time and never thought that you would have. You and Lois will be fantastic parents."

"Thanks, Oliver," Clark said. "I couldn't be any happier than I am right now."

"Hey, um, guys, I hate to rain on your parade, but look at the rest of this footage," Chloe said, turning her attention back to the screen.

"What is it, Chlo?" Lois asked.

"Look at this. Lex, dressed in black criminal clothes, disappears into this car. But a few minutes later, he gets out wearing totally different clothes and in a disguise. He hides in the alley and watches Superman come, and leaves right after Superman flies off," Chloe pointed out. "Clark, he was watching you; he was _studying _you! We have no idea where Lex has been hiding these last three years, or if he has any of his memories."

Nobody had seen or heard from Lex Luthor since Tess' murder. The JLA had been heartbroken when they learned that one of their own members was gone. Tess' body had been found in Crater Lake several weeks after she had gone missing. All evidence had been washed away. When police tried questioning Lex, he had been compliant, but unhelpful seeing as how his memory had been completely wiped clean. The police could never find any evidence linking Tess' disappearance, and eventually her murder, to Lex. The JLA, however, had known he was responsible for Tess' disappearance long before her body was found. Before she went to see Lex, she left a videotape at Watchtower that Clark and Chloe found the next day when nobody had seen or heard from her.

"_To my beloved Justice League," _Tess' face had come on the screen. "_If you are watching this, it likely means that I am dead. If that is the case, you can be sure that I died at the hands of my brother, Lex Luthor. I can't tell you how honored I have been these last few months to be accepted as a League member, and better yet, your friend. Your secrets will always remain safe with me. Lex Luthor may have resurfaced looking for revenge on a friend whom he believes betrayed his trust over and over, but vengeance will be mine. I will take away all the power that he possesses, and all the secrets that he holds will be no more. I will make sure that Lex Luthor is no threat to Clark, Superman, or any other member of the Justice League. Lex and I may share a bloodline, but each one of you are more my family than any Luthor ever could be. Please do not be sad over my death. You have each given me a gift more precious than money could have ever bought - you trusted me with your secrets, and you allowed me to enter into your lives. Thank you for changing me, and making me want to be a better person. I love each and every one of you." _

With that, the video had ended, and the League had known that Tess was gone forever at the hands of Lex Luthor. It wasn't until news had erupted of his sudden and complete amnesia that they understood what Tess meant by getting vengeance on Lex and stripping him of his power over Clark. They didn't know how Tess did it, but they knew she was responsible for Lex's complete memory loss - and they were eternally grateful to her. Even in her last breath, she protected Clark and his secret from the most dangerous man on Earth. After Lex had been questioned by police, he disappeared without a trace. Since the police couldn't find a connection to him and Tess' murder, they didn't investigate his disappearance much.

"Wait a minute, though," Lois cut in. "Why is Lex robbing a bank himself? Not to mention, he only got away with a measly few hundred bucks? No, the Lex Luthor we all know would hire someone to do his dirty work and his dirty work would *definitely* get him more than a few hundred bucks. He's robbing a bank because…." her voice trailed off as she thought.

"...He doesn't remember any of his banking information," Clark thought out loud.

"Well if we're going on that theory, then we know that he still doesn't remember anything," Oliver said.

"The problem is it's all still a theory," Chloe said. "It's a _good_ theory, but it's still a theory."

"He stayed around to watch me," Clark said. "He's studying me. I don't think he remembers anything about me, or else he would be coming after Lois and Clark."

"You're probably right," Chloe said. "But the two of you really need to watch your backs and try not to do anything that draws attention to you."

"Like fly around in red and blue tights and a cape?" Clark joked.

Chloe rolled her eyes at him. "You know what I mean. You two, as in Lois and Clark, need to stay off the radar. Lois, that means don't do anything dangerous. Especially since you're pregnant now, anyways."

Lois sighed. "Did Clark put you up to this? Because he and I were just having this same conversation about me not putting myself in harm's way now that I'm pregnant earlier today."

Clark held up one hand as if swearing an oath. "I swear; I didn't say anything to her."

"Mark my words, people," Lois said. "I have no intentions of putting myself in harm's way while I'm pregnant."


	4. Chapter 4

The next day at the Planet, Lois was in her office studying the surveillance tapes that they had acquired with regards to the bank robbery a couple of nights before. In addition to the tape Chloe had in her possession, Lois and Clark also were able to get copies of surveillance footage from a couple of stores that surrounded the bank, allowing them different angles of the crime.

"Lane, what are you working on right now? And where's that husband of yours?" he asked.

"Clark is out chasing some leads," Lois answered. "We are working on a big story. We saw video surveillance footage outside of the Metropolis Bank the night that it was robbed. It looks like it was done by Lex Luthor."

"Luthor? Why is he out of hiding? And what's he doing robbing banks for petty cash?" Perry questioned.

"Those are the answers we're trying to get for the front page," Lois answered.

"That sounds good," Perry said. "Why is Clark out in the field? I thought that was usually your domain."

"We….uh, just decided to switch things up," Lois lied. Perry looked at her skeptically, but left without anymore questions.

Lois went back to studying the video footage when one of the cameras captured the perfect shot of the end of his car. He was driving an old beat-up black Chevy Cavalier. "You definitely don't have access to your billions," she muttered to herself and under her breath. She froze the frame, enlarged it, and was able to make out the last few characters of his license plate. 'N-R47' was all she could make out. The first 2 characters of the tag were hidden from view. She ran the plates through the DMV database, but it showed it was registered to a Roger Carmichael, an 87-year-old man who passed away a few months ago.

Lois decided to take this new footage and tag number over to Chloe at Watchtower, and see what information they could dig up on Lex Luthor together. She walked outside and was heading down the sidewalk towards her car when a teenage guy came running out of nowhere, and grabbed hold of her purse.

"Hey!" she yelled immediately grabbing onto the strap and using her left fist to deliver a swift punch to the purse snatcher's eye. She took advantage of the fact that he had released the purse after being surprised by her punch and delivered a roundhouse kick to his gut.

"Drop the purse!" the guy yelled, pulling out a gun and pointing it at her. People on the sidewalk screamed and began running to find safety.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy, take it easy," Lois said, gently releasing her purse strap and holding both hands up. "Just take the purse. No need to get violent."

"You just pissed off the wrong guy, lady," the guy said in a low, menacing growl as he cocked the gun.

"Is there a problem here?" a voice asked. Lois and the purse-snatcher looked towards where the voice was coming from to see Superman standing a few feet away with his arms crossed. The purse-snatcher had a panicked look on his face and took off running. Superman supersped the direction the purse-snatcher was running, and the purse-snatcher ran right into The Man of Steel at full speed - knocking him completely unconscious.

"Ms. Lane," Superman said, bending down and picking up Lois' purse and handing it back to her. "You really have a knack for running into trouble."

"Given the situation, I think this guy is the one who _ran_ into trouble," Lois said, gesturing to the unconscious body at Superman's feet.

"If you're OK, I'll be taking this guy to the Metropolis jail," Superman said, throwing the guy over his shoulder as the guy winced at the movement and moaned in pain.

"Yeah, I'm totally fine," Lois said. "Thanks for the save." She turned to continue heading to her car. She couldn't relay messages to her husband when he was on a save as Superman, so she waited until she was tucked into her car to whisper, "Clark, meet me at Watchtower after you take that guy to jail."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lex Luthor watched the purse-snatching fail take place from behind a newspaper inside his car that he had parked just a few cars away from Lois'. He had paid this teenage kid $100 to steal Lois' purse and deposit it in a secret location. The deal was that he was to just steal Lois' purse without hurting her. The fact that a gun had been brought out enraged Lex. He had zero tolerance for people who disobeyed his orders. Lex's plan was to see if Superman would come to Lois' rescue when no threat to her life was at stake, and see if Lois kept any information that would help Lex figure out hers and Clark's relationship with Superman. Since a gun was pulled on Lois, Superman had a reason to swoop in and save the day, AND the purse-snatcher had been knocked out cold by Superman, and Superman returned Lois Lane's purse to her, so Lex lost his opportunity to look in Lois' purse. Still in the safety of his car, he angrily bawled up the newspaper that he had been hiding behind, and tossed it aside. The only good thing to come from this fiasco was that Lex watched Lois deliver a swift punch and roundhouse kick to her purse-snatcher. It was good for Lex to know what kind of self-defense skills Lois had should he ever have an encounter with her. He would chalk that knowledge up to a win for today. He knew he would get the most valuable information after accessing each of their computers.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lois and Chloe were studying different angles of the surveillance footage that Lois had brought over to Watchtower when Superman swooped in, and quickly changed into Clark.

"Hey, hon," Clark said, putting his hand on the small of Lois' back and greeting her with a kiss on the cheek. He cleared his throat and a smirk appeared on his lips. "So, what happened to you not putting yourself in danger while you were pregnant?" he teased.

"That was _not_ my fault!" Lois exclaimed. She saw the smirk on his lips and knew he was just teasing with her. "Smallville!" she laughed, playfully elbowing him in the ribs.

"Wait, what happened?" Chloe asked.

"Some punk teenager attempted to mug me," Lois said, nonchalantly. "He grabbed my purse and I punched him in the eye and kicked him in the gut."

"You did a good job on his eye, too," Clark said. "By the time I got him to the police station, he had a really nice shiner."

"Thank you," Lois said, smiling proudly. She turned back to Chloe to finish her story. "Anyways, after I punched him, he pulled a gun on me, so I let go of my purse and told him to just take it. So, see? I was attempting to _not _put myself in a precarious position," she added to defend herself. "And as he was turning to run away, Superman flew down behind him, the guy ran right into him, and it knocked him out cold."

"Only Lois Lane can find trouble when she's trying to avoid it," Chloe said with a grin.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I'm beat," Lois yawned as she and Clark walked out of Watchtower that night. They had been trying to locate the whereabouts of Lex Luthor all night without any luck. He was doing a great job of ghosting himself.

"Sweetie, it's only 7:30," Clark chuckled, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they walked. It was already dark outside and there was a chill in the air.

She leaned in closer to him. "I'm growing a human inside of me, OK?" she joked. "Well, I guess, technically…." her voice trailed off as she was thinking about the words that had just left her mouth. "Do you know when you're planning on heading up to chat with your dear ole' Dad?"

"In the next couple of days for sure," Clark replied. "Have you called Emil?"

"I called him earlier today. We're going to meet him tomorrow evening," Lois answered.

A big grin spread across Clark's face. "I can't wait to finally see our baby and hear the sweet little heartbeat!"

"Are you saying you haven't listened in or snuck a glance?" Lois asked, suspiciously.

Clark held up one hand as if swearing an oath. "It's been really tough, but no, I haven't. I wanted it to be a moment that we shared together."

A warm smile spread across Lois' face. "I love you, Smallville."

"I love you, too, Lois," Clark said leaning down and giving Lois a sweet kiss on the lips. He pulled away a moment later. "Are you up for a trip to visit my 'dad' tonight? I want to take you with me, and I want to do this before we see Emil tomorrow. I want to make sure my wife and child get the proper medical attention from the start."

"Sure," Lois agreed. "That sounds like a great idea. But you have to feed me first. I'm starving!"

"OK," Clark agreed with a smile.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Jor-El!" Clark called out an hour later when they made it to his ice fortress. "I need your expertise. Lois just found out that she's pregnant, and we need to know if we should expect anything different developmentally than in a normal human pregnancy."

"Hello, my son," Jor-El answered. "Hello, Lois. It brings me great pleasure that you have pro-created and are furthering your legacy."

"Pro-created?" Lois muttered under her breath. "Isn't that kind of a robotic way to describe the miracle of life?"

"Well, he is artificial intelligence," Clark reminded her.

"Kal-El, you were sent to Earth because you most resemble the genetic makeup of a human. Kryptonian gestation and embryonic development are identical to humans," Jor-El informed.

"What about Lois' safety as she carries and delivers a part-Kryptonian baby?" Clark asked. "Anything we should be concerned about? Super powers? Meteor rock?"

"Your wife's health will not be in any jeopardy carrying or delivering a Kryptonian-human hybrid," Jor-El said. "The child's abilities will not develop until later in childhood as yours did once exposed to the yellow sun for a period of time. As with any genetic characteristics, your child has the chance to inherit all of your abilities, none of your abilities, or any amount in between. I cannot answer your question about meteor rock as this is the first Kryptonian-human hybrid. I'm sorry, my son."

"We try to stay away from meteor rock for you anyways," Lois said to Clark. "I'll just make sure to stay away from it as well."

"Lois," Jor-El called out.

Lois turned to Clark with a perplexed look on her face. It was rare for Jor-El to address anyone other than Clark when he was speaking.

"Y-yes, Jor-El. I'm here," Lois answered.

"It brings me great joy that you have chosen to give your heart to my son and carry his child. When Kal-El speaks of you, his heartbeat begins beating in an erratic fashion. When you're here with him and he makes physical contact with you, I can feel his body temperature rise."

Lois looked up at her husband who met her eyes with a sheepish smile and a shrug of the shoulders.

"I'm not denying it," he said.

"Jor-El, thank you," Lois said. "I love Cla- Kal-El with all of my heart."

"I know you do," Jor-El said. "I will do everything in my power to keep you and your baby safe."

"Thank you, Jor-El," Lois said, humbly. "Thank you so much."

"Kal-El, be even more careful with your wife than I know you already are," Jor-El warned. "If anybody learns that a Kryptonian has pro-created with a human, this baby and your wife will be in great danger. Kal-El, you yourself, could be in great danger."

"Yes, Jor-El, I understand," Clark affirmed. "We will be very careful."


	5. Chapter 5

Lex sat in a booth in the back corner of the bar when a thin blonde man with glasses joined him. "Mr. Luthor, I understand that you're in need of my services."

"Look, I'll cut to the chase. I need all the dirt that you can dig up on Lois Lane and Clark Kent, and Superman. I want to know the extent of Superman's powers, if he has any weaknesses, and how and why Superman, Lane, and Kent are all so tight-knit," Lex said.

"Well, sure, I can get you that information," the man with glasses said. "But it'll cost you."

"Of course it will, and this is what I'm offering," Lex said. "I'll give you $500 up front. I'll give you an additional $500 for each VITAL piece of information you give me. If you can give me everything I'm asking of you, I'll give you $100,000."

"OK," the man with the glasses answered. "I think we have ourselves a deal."

"Oh, and one more thing," Lex added. "They're not to know you're spying on them, and you're not to harm them in any way. I'll take care of that myself."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The next evening, Lois and Clark walked into Metropolis Gen, fingers interlaced, excited and anxious to hear and see their baby for the first time. They were meeting Emil after most of the L&D doctors had left for the evening so as to "borrow" some equipment without raising suspicions as to why a non-L&D doctor was doing a prenatal exam.

"Clark, do we have any idea what to expect in this pregnancy?" Emil asked as Lois situated herself on the exam table.

"Yes, we went to see Jor-El yesterday. He said Kryptonian embryonic development is identical to human development, so Lois' pregnancy should progress as a normal one," Clark answered.

Emil frowned as he contemplated what Clark had just told him. "Well since this pregnancy should develop typically, do we need to keep these appointments so hush-hush? Lois, it might be better if you see an actual obstetrician."

"Clark and I talked about it a lot," Lois said. "Even though Jor-El said everything should develop normally, I'm still the first human to carry an alien baby. We would feel much more comfortable if it's just people in our inner circle in the delivery room just in case something weird happens. You know, if this baby comes out with purple horns or flying or something"

"Well, then, in that case, I'm happy to act as your OB," Emil said. "Are you two ready to see your baby?"

"Yes," Clark said with a big smile spreading across his face.

Lois pulled her shirt up and Emil squirted some blue gel on her belly. He used a probe to move around on her belly until he found the image he was looking for.

"At this stage in development, your baby is about the size of a pea, and is beginning to form facial features, hands, fingers, legs, and toes, but will still look a bit alien." He shot a look at Clark. "No offense, Clark."

Clark wasn't paying attention, though. He gripped Lois' hand tighter as a black and white blob appeared on the screen in front of them, and a fast and steady _bump, bump, bump _was heard.

"Oh my God," Lois said in an excited whisper. "There's really a baby in there."

"Not just _a _baby," Clark corrected. "It's _our_ baby."

"_Our_ baby," Lois repeated.

Everyone was clueless that someone else was trying to spy on their intimate family time. From outside the window, a thin janitor with blonde hair and glasses was watching. He had seen them enter, but never saw them leave. After an hour, he left his post and found a private area in the hospital to make a call.

"Yeah, it's me," he said when the other line clicked on. "They had an appointment with a doctor tonight, but it was very secretive. I couldn't see in because they had all the blinds and windows closed tight. I do know the doctor's name is Emil Hamilton."

"It's a start," Lex told him. "Next time I want more, though. Much more. Your first payment will be waiting for you at the location we previously discussed. But seriously, next time, I want more or there will be no pay."

"Don't worry. I'm just getting started."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

*****THREE MONTHS LATER*****

"Urrrggghhh!" Clark heard Lois angrily yell from inside their bedroom. He was walking in right as a gray pencil skirt came flying his direction. He caught it effortlessly. Lois stood in the middle of their bedroom wearing a long-sleeved black button-down top and some red, lacy panties.

Clark let out a low whistle at the sight of his wife clad in very little clothing. "Are you trying to seduce me?" he asked, coming up behind her and planting little kisses along the back of her neck.

"This stupid skirt doesn't fit anymore," Lois huffed, grabbing her gray skirt out of Clark's hand and throwing it down on the floor.

"Mmmm, that's OK," Clark said as he continued to kiss the back of her neck and his hands moved from her hips to her belly that was slowly losing its toned definition and taking on a more rounded form to accommodate the baby growing inside. "I prefer this outfit on you."

Lois smiled and relaxed at Clark's touch for a moment. "It's just so annoying," she said. "My clothes are all getting so tight. Things that fit last week don't fit at all this week."

"Lois, that's a good thing, though," Clark reminded her. "That means our baby is growing inside of you and getting stronger and bigger every day."

Lois let out an exasperated sigh. "I know," she said. "I'm happy to be pregnant, and I'm glad this little one is growing and getting stronger and bigger. I'm just frustrated. My body is changing. We still haven't told Perry or anyone else at the Daily Planet that I'm pregnant, and I just know my days of keeping this secret are numbered. I'm torn between wanting to keep this little peanut safe and protected and still wanting to go chase after all the big stories. I mean that is what makes me Lois _Lane_ after all."

Clark took a seat on the bed and gently tugged on his wife's hand to sit next to him and took her hand in his. "Chasing big stories is not what makes you Lois Lane. When I think of Lois Lane, I think of someone who would do whatever she needed to protect the greater good. You usually get yourself caught in a big predicament because protecting the greater good usually comes with evil, hostile people who are willing to take down anyone who gets in their way. What if this one time, though, protecting the greater good really means protecting yourself and this little one growing inside of you?"

Lois playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Ugh, Smallville. Is always knowing exactly what to say and do one of your super abilities?"

Clark grinned and pulled her in close to kiss her forehead. "Nah. That just comes naturally to me."

"You're right," she said, placing her hands on her little baby bump. "It's time to focus on protecting this little one growing inside of me."

Clark smiled. "Great. So you're ready to tell Perry today?"

"Yeah," she said with a nervous smile. "I think it's time that I go down to puff pieces."

Clark leaned over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "It's only for a short while. You'll be back needing to be saved by Superman before you know it."

"Let me find something that fits and we can head into work to talk to Perry," Lois said. She got up from the bed and rummaged through their closet. She finally settled on a simple black wrap dress that tied at her waist and helped camouflage her growing tummy.

An hour later, Lois and Clark walked into the Planet. There was a vendor in the lobby who always sold coffee and pastries. "Lois, I'm going to grab myself a cup of coffee," Clark told her. "Want me to get you anything?"

"Yeah, I'll take a maple donut," Lois said. "Thanks, Smallville. I'll meet you upstairs." She walked upstairs to her office and was taken aback when she entered and found a thin, blonde man wearing glasses sitting at Clark's computer. "Hello?" she asked in a confused tone. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The man jumped at the sound of her voice. "Oh, um, I'm sorry, ma'am, you startled me. I'm from the tech department. We're updating some of the older computers being used here."

"Usually that stuff happens after hours," Lois said suspiciously.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "That's above my pay grade."

"Well, are you almost done?" Lois asked. "My husband and I have a lot of work to do today."

"Yes, ma'am, I think I've got all that I need," the man answered as he gathered his supplies. He headed out the door right as Clark was coming up with the coffee and donuts.

"Who was that coming out of our office?" Clark asked when he reached Lois.

"Some guy from the tech department," Lois answered. "He said that he was upgrading some old computers. He was working on yours when I came in." Clark handed Lois her donut, and she took a big bite. "Mmmm, this is delicious. Thank you."

"Hey Lois," Cat Grant said in a loud, chipper voice as she bounced past where the couple stood. "Might wanna lay off the pastries. You look like you might have put on a few pounds."

From the other side of the newsroom, the man with the glasses smiled a sinister smile to himself as he got into an elevator and watched Clark drag a fuming Lois into their office. Once the elevator doors closed and he was alone, the man with the glasses pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey, it's me," he said once the other line clicked on. "I think I know what all the doctor's appointments are that I've seen the Lane woman go to. I think she's pregnant. One of her co-workers just commented that she needs to lay off the pastries because she looks like she's put on a few pounds."

"I need more proof than that," Lex demanded. "I'm paying you to find out _facts_; not report newsroom gossip between co-workers. Did you copy the hard drives?"

"Only Kent's," the man answered. "The woman walked in on me and I had to make a quick escape."

"Fine," Lex answered curtly. "Start with Clark's, but you better go back and get Lane's quickly. She already saw you at Clark's computer. We can't have her catching you in the act again."

"Don't worry, boss," the man said in a low voice. "It won't happen again."

"It better not," Lex said as he hung up the phone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I made a few minor changes to chapter 6. They were very minor changes, but I felt like they enhanced the chapter just a bit.**

The man with the glasses sat in his apartment as he tediously opened file after file from Clark's stolen hard drive.

"Bingo," he said as an evil grin spread across his face. He picked up his phone and dialed. "It's me. I'm finally getting somewhere on Kent's hard drive. He's definitely good at securing certain information, but I've found some things that I think it's better that you come over here and check out yourself."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So you're telling me that these green meteor rocks are dangerous to Superman?" Lex asked after the man with the glasses showed him all of the files he had been able to hack into off of Clark's hard drive.

"According to Kent's notes on Superman, yes. He doesn't go into specifics, so I don't know if Superman needs to be exposed to a lot of meteor rock, if it affects him immediately or if only long-term exposure is dangerous, and it doesn't say whether green meteor rock is deadly to him, or will just make him sick."

"Any inkling as to why he's so close to Lane and Kent? Why they always get his stories?" Lex asked.

"None yet, but I'm going back to the Planet late Sunday night to hack into Lane's computer and copy her hard drive."

"We need to create some kind of emergency involving the Kents to see if he always comes to their rescue - even when it's not really warranted, and I want to have some of this green meteor rock present. I don't want to kill him. Yet. I just want to know how much he needs to be exposed to, and for how long he needs exposure before it weakens him," Lex said. An evil grin spread across his face. "I have an idea. You're going to need a disguise. I don't want them to recognize you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So, are you happy that you finally revealed your secret to everyone at the Daily Planet?" Clark asked, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders as they left work that evening.

A big smile spread across Lois' face. "You know what? I actually am. No more hiding my growing belly; no more pretending that I'm fine when the smell of Cat Grant's baked chicken makes me want to vomit; and I can actually show excitement for this little one -" she smoothed down her dress to accentuate her bump "-growing inside of me." Clark grinned and gave her tummy a little rub.

They walked to where their car was parked along the road just a block away from the Planet, and were startled to see a man pulled up behind it, and had seemingly run into their car. The man got out of his car as soon as he saw them approaching.

"Is this your car?" the man asked.

"Yes," Clark said.

"Hi," the man said, extending his hand. Clark shook his hand, and immediately felt a little weaker and was surprised at the amount of strength the man used on the handshake. The man shook Lois' hand as well. "I am so sorry, but I was driving down the road, and I took a curve a few blocks back and my phone fell out of the passenger seat and onto the floor. I didn't try to pick it up at first, but then my wife called me. She's due to have a baby any day, so I wanted to pick up and make sure that she was OK, and in the split second I looked away from the road, I had veered into the parking lane, and didn't have enough time to come to a complete stop before I bumped your car."

"Clark, I'm gonna go wait in the car," Lois told him as she started walking away.

"O-OK," Clark stammered. There was something off about the way he was feeling. The longer he was standing, the worse he felt. His head was pounding, his chest felt heavy - what was going on with him?

"Let me go get my insurance information," the guy said. "Oh, and we'll want to take pictures of what happened. Do you think Superman will come help us?"

"It's just a small fender bender. This really isn't a Superman emergency," Clark said, trying to sound nonchalant, and not look like pain was beginning to radiate through his whole body. He looked around to see if there was anything that could be causing this painful sensation to him when his eyes fell on Lois. She had one hand tightly holding onto the car as if to steady her and one hand was clutching her pregnant belly. Clark cued his super hearing into her. Her heart beat had quickened considerably and her breathing sounded labored. He quickly forgot about the fender bender, along with his own pain, and jogged over to her side. "Lois?" He put his arm around her waist and she looked at him with fear-filled eyes. "Honey, talk to me, tell me what's wrong?"

"Clark -" she managed to get out as Clark watched her wince in pain. "It's the baby. Something doesn't feel right."

"OK," Clark said taking hold of her hand in his and kissing it reassuringly. "Don't worry about anything. I am going to call Emil and we'll get you to the hospital in no time. Our baby is fine. You are fine. I promise."

"OK," Lois agreed doubtfully. Clark could see tears forming in her eyes.

"Lois, you and this baby are the two most important things in my life. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I love you." Clark leaned in and gave her a sweet kiss on the forehead.

The man from the fender bender walked up to them.

"Mmmm!" Lois groaned out in pain, squeezing Clark's hand harder. She felt her legs giving out from the pain she was in, but she felt Clark's grip on her strengthen to hold her up.

"I've got you," Clark comforted. "Are you OK?"

"We - we need to go," Lois managed to get out.

"Absolutely," Clark said as he quickly opened the passenger door and helped her in.

"Is everything OK?" the man asked.

"I need to get my wife to a hospital," Clark said.

"Should we call for Superman? What's wrong with your wife? Is it stress from this accident? I still need to give you my insurance information so you don't have to pay for this."

"I'm not worried about insurance right now," Clark told him. "I appreciate your honesty in all of this, really, but I'm more worried about my wife." Clark walked away from the man to go to his side of the car.

"What about Superman? Isn't he supposed to be here helping in emergency situations?" the man yelled after Clark.

"I'm sure he would if he could!" Clark called back. With that, he got in his car and drove off.

The man got back in his car and pulled out his cell phone. "Hey boss, it's me. Superman didn't try to come rescue the Kents. Weirdest thing, too. The car accident was a minor fender bender that didn't need Superman's help at all, but the Kent woman suddenly was having pains from the baby that actually would have been appropriate for Superman to show up and help, but still nothing."

"Interesting," Lex said from the other end of the phone. "Were you recording the entire thing?"

"Everything," the man said.

"Great. I want that tape now. You'll get your payment as soon as you bring it to me," Lex said.

"On my way, now," the man said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Once Clark pulled away from the car accident, he immediately dialed Emil's number.

"Emil, it's Clark. There's something wrong with Lois and the baby. Can you see us immediately?"

"Of course, Clark," Emil said. "I'm still here at the hospital now. I'll meet you down in the basement." Clark and Emil had been working together to set up a proper labor and delivery room in the basement of the hospital where they were certain that nobody would find them.

"OK, we'll be there in 5 minutes," Clark said hanging up. He took Lois' hand. His superhearing picked up on the fact that her heartbeat was returning to normal and her breathing was becoming more normal and relaxed. "You're feeling better," he stated with a smile.

"How could you tell?" Lois asked.

"Your breathing and heartbeat are returning to normal," Clark told her.

"I am feeling better," Lois confirmed, keeping one hand on her belly. "That was the oddest sensation. I didn't feel bad until we got over to our cars and that man started talking. Once he shook my hand, I really felt nauseous, and the more he was yammering on about how the car accident happened, the worse I felt. At first, I just was having bad stomach cramps and nausea, then I realized I was having a hard time breathing, and my whole body hurt to the point I thought I would either throw up or pass out from the amount of pain I was in. But then we got in the car and my body slowly started going back to normal. I don't understand what happened." Clark was silent for a minute.

"I think I might know what happened," Clark said quietly.

"You do? What?" Lois asked.

"I think the man who hit our car did it on purpose to try to lure Superman. I think he had Kryptonite on him."

"What makes you think that?" Lois asked.

"When I first came close to him and shook his hand, I also started feeling different. My head hurt, then my whole body hurt, and then my chest felt tight," Clark said. "I didn't think Kryptonite at first because it usually makes me feel much worse, but you were feeling all the same things that I was. When he saw you were in pain, he asked about calling Superman, then kept trying to get me to wait while he got his insurance information, then asked me again to call Superman," Clark said. "He had to have only had a small piece of Kryptonite on him. It wasn't enough to make me double over, but enough to make me feel bad. And enough to make our baby feel the effects of it." He removed his hand from Lois' and gently placed it on her little baby bump. She placed her hand on top of his.

"But he couldn't have known that I would have an adverse reaction to Kryptonite," Lois said. "And that fender bender is hardly a Superman-worthy emergency."

"That part has me stumped," Clark admitted. He pulled into the hospital parking lot. "Let's get you and the baby checked out. Then we'll try to figure out what happened."

Two hours later, Lois and Clark were leaving the hospital after Emil assuring them that Lois and the baby were very healthy. There was no sign of trauma in either of them from possible Kryptonite exposure.

"Clark, I think we should get over to Watchtower and see if Chloe can pull up surveillance of the accident," Lois said once they got in their car. "Then we can run a plate number and find out who exactly we're dealing with, and then figure out why someone was trying to lure Superman out."

"One step ahead of you," Clark said. "I already called Chloe. She and Oliver are working on it right now. I don't mind going over there now, but are you sure you're up for it? It's late."

"Clark," Lois said. "Someone was trying to lure out Superman, and was ready to use Kryptonite on him. Not only is someone putting my husband's life in jeopardy, but now my baby's as well. I need to know who we're dealing with. I _want_ to know who we're dealing with."

Clark smiled at her. "Then let's go." He started driving them over to Watchtower

"Clark, I have to ask you something," Lois said as they drove.

"Hmmmm?" Clark asked.

"You kept telling me how much pain you were in and how awful you felt while we were with that man," Lois started.

"Mmmm-hmmm," Clark confirmed, his voice letting on that he wasn't following where she was going.

"You held onto me when you saw that I was in pain, and I squeezed your hand awfully hard at one point when my pain increased," Lois said. "I had no idea that you were also in pain because I had no idea that we were dealing with Kryptonite. How did you hide your pain so well?"

"Remember a few months ago when I told you that Kryptonite wasn't my biggest source of weakness; you were. You responded that you weren't my biggest source of weakness, but my biggest source of strength. It's very true. I was in a ton of pain. I looked around trying to see where the source of _my _pain could be coming from, but instead, I saw you hunched over in pain standing by the car, I listened in, and could hear your heartbeat was pounding and your breathing sounded labored," Clark answered. "Once I realized that there was something wrong with you and the baby, I was only focused on you. I really didn't feel my own pain anymore. All I could focus on was making sure you were OK, and the baby was OK."

"Clark, you are the most amazing husband I could have ever asked for," Lois said. "You kept me calm and made me feel completely safe when I had no idea what was going on. Thank you for always being so selfless. This baby is extremely lucky to have you as a daddy."

"And you as a mommy," Clark added with a smile. "I meant what I told you. You and the baby are the most important people in my life and I will always do everything in my power to keep you safe. I'm just glad that you two are both fine. I love you."

"I love you, too," Lois answered.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"And you're positive that the Lane woman didn't recognize you from your run-in at her computer a few weeks ago?" Lex asked the man with the glasses.

"Positive," the man answered. "I wore no glasses, grew a mustache, and had a hat on. There's no way she recognized me. Trust me, she was truly having some baby pain. She wasn't paying attention to me."

"Where did you put the green meteor rock?" Lex asked.

The man rolled up his sleeve to reveal the face of his watch glowing a faint green color. "I built it into the watch. If Superman had shown up and thought that green meteor rock was around, he wouldn't be able to find it on me."

"I'm going to keep this tape and study it," Lex said. "Meet me back here tomorrow night and I'll have your payment and we'll go over your next move. I feel like we're really getting somewhere."

"Sure thing," the man said, heading out the door.

Lex went back to the videotape. He played it back in slow motion. "OK, Superman," he muttered to himself. "Why didn't you come to your friends' rescue?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Lois?! What on Earth are you doing here? You just got released from the hospital! You should be in bed resting and taking care of this little one!" Chloe shrieked at the sight of Lois and Clark entering Watchtower.

"Whoa, Chloe, calm down and bring it down a few decibels," Lois answered. "I'm fine. Emil checked me and the baby and we're both completely fine. I can't rest right now knowing some sicko is out to get my husband."

"I pulled up surveillance footage of the accident," Chloe began slowly. "I was able to get a license plate number off of the other guy's car." Her voice faded as she didn't want to share the information. "It matches the car that we saw Lex Luthor driving a few months ago when he watched Superman at the Metropolis Bank after a small theft took place."

"I knew it," Lois said. "I knew that this had to be the inner workings of Lex Luthor."

"He's been laying low for a few months now, and he's found someone to do his accomplice work," Clark thought out loud. "He was trying to lure out Superman, but why? We know there was Kryptonite on the guy who hit our car tonight, but it wasn't very much. What were they trying to accomplish? Where was Lex in all of this?"

"You know Lex was watching from somewhere," Lois said. "He was either watching in person from a safe distance, or we were videotaped. How did Lex find out that meteor rocks can hurt Superman? Does he know that _you _are Superman?" She gasped as a thought suddenly hit her. "Oh my God, if Lex knows you're Superman, he knows that our baby is part Superman. Our baby is going to be in so much danger."

Clark saw her eyes brimming with tears and immediately gathered her in his arms. "I will never let Lex Luthor lay a hand on you or this baby. You know that, don't you?" Clark waited until he saw Lois nod in agreement. "He would have to kill me first in order to get to you."

Lois swallowed hard. "He would do it, too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lex rewound the video footage and watched the scene re-play for the thousandth time that night. "Lois is clearly in distress," Lex muttered sinisterly. "Why didn't Superman rescue his friends?"

"Hey boss," the man with the glasses said, entering the hideout. "What'd you find out?"

"What are you doing back here already?" Lex snapped. "I said come back tomorrow!"

"It is tomorrow!" the guy yelled back. "Have you been watching that video the whole time?"

"There has to be a reason why Superman didn't show up last night," Lex said, rubbing his eyes. He stood up from his chair and took a swig of whiskey from a glass that had been sitting nearby.

"Yeah, well, I've been thinking about it some, too," the guy said, taking out a burrito from a brown bag he brought in and taking a big bite. "I have a theory," he said as he chewed.

"What?" Lex asked, suspiciously.

"What if Superman has a thing for this Lane woman?" the guy put out there. "From the newspaper articles you've shown me, Superman saves Lane all the time. There's never an instance of him saving Kent. Some of their stories that they wrote _about_ Superman have Lane and Kent together, but Kent doesn't seem to occupy as much of Superman's time as Lane does."

"Interesting theory," Lex said. He took another swig of whiskey. "It could make sense. Lane was in distress last night and Kent was with her. The other times that Superman has saved Lane, Kent has been nowhere around."

"So you just need to find a way to ensure Lane is by herself and create an emergency surrounding her," the guy said, taking another bite of burrito. "It shouldn't be hard since we know she's pregnant. She's vulnerable now."

"True," Lex said. "But we can't do it yet. We need some time so that we don't raise any suspicions. In the meantime, I'm planning on keeping a closer eye on Lane. You take Kent and Superman. We'll find out if there's any validity to your theory, if there's trouble in paradise between the happy _power_ couple." Lex seethed once again at the thought of Lois Lane and Clark Kent being known as a 'power couple.'

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The following Monday, Lois and Clark walked hand-in-hand into the Daily Planet. Lex watched them from behind the safety of a janitor's disguise. Clark opened the door to their office for Lois, who stopped immediately in her tracks and her eyes darted away from his.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked.

"Nothing alarming," Lois answered with a smile. "Baby shifted positions, and now I seriously have to pee." She shoved her belongings in Clark's arms. "Be right back."

Clark laughed amusedly as he watched his wife hurriedly make her way to the nearest ladies' room. He sat down at his desk and began his work. Lois returned a few minutes later. "Everything come out OK?" he asked her with a playful gleam in his eye.

"Ha. Ha. Smallville," Lois replied dryly.

"What are your plans for today?" Clark asked.

"Oh, I'm supposed to meet a source in a couple of hours to get a quote to wrap up this story that Perry put me on," Lois said nonchalantly.

Clark's frow burrowed in confusion. "I didn't realize that you were working on any stories that would put you out in the field."

"Don't worry, Smallville," Lois assured. "I'd hardly call it a story. I'm interviewing an 80-year-old woman for the Planet's '_Feel Good Friday' _column. I tried doing it over the phone, but the poor old woman couldn't hear anything I said, so I agreed to meet her in person."

"I can finish up my work here quickly and go with you," Clark said.

"I appreciate it, but I'm just pregnant; not an invalid. I can handle an 80-year-old woman," Lois said.

"It's not you that I'm worried about," Clark said, lowering his voice. "Lex seems to be on our tail, and I want to make sure that you stay safe."

Lois smiled sweetly at Clark, and walked over to his desk. She sat on the edge of his desk. "Smallville, I love that you love me so much and want to keep me safe, but you know that it's just going to drive me crazy if you hover over me all the time."

Clark took both of Lois' hands in his and smiled. "You're right. I know I'm being overprotective. I'll back off." He lovingly rubbed her little baby belly. He gasped in excitement when he felt a small kick under his hands. His eyes met Lois' with a big smile on his face.

"Did you feel that?!" Lois exclaimed.

"I felt it!" Clark replied, excitedly. He put both hands on her belly and they both stood up. "See, Lois, this is why I'm overprotective. Everything I love most in life is right here."

"Don't worry, Clark. I love this little baby just as much as you do, and would never do anything to put him or her in danger," Lois promised.

"It's not just the baby I'm worried about," Clark told her. "I'm pretty crazy about the person in which he's inhabiting." He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist.

"Or she," Lois interjected.

Clark rolled his eyes teasingly. "Or _she_," he added.

"And I love you, too," Lois told him as they came in close and shared a tender kiss.

Lex watched from outside of their office window. _They look truly happy together, _he thought to himself. _Can Lois Lane really fake her love and devotion to her husband while having a little trist with Superman? What is really going on with the three of them? _He emptied a few trash cans to keep up his facade as a janitor while keeping a close eye on Lois and Clark's office. An hour later, he saw Lois gather up her belongings and head to the elevator while Clark stayed behind. He quickly abandoned his janitorial cart and ran out to follow her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lois finished her interview with the elderly lady quickly and got in her car to drive back to the Daily Planet. She was about 10 minutes down the road on a 2-lane highway when a black car in her rearview mirror caught her attention. It was weaving in and out between the other cars and seemed to be tailing her. She sped up and the car sped up. Lois felt her heart start beating faster. Why didn't she listen to Clark and let him come with her this one time? _Think Lane,_ she thought to herself. She didn't want to call for Superman. If this was Lex behind her, which she was sure it was, he would be wanting Superman to come save the day, and would likely have Kryptonite on him. There was no way she would put Clark in that kind of position. Lois quickly exited off the highway. The car behind her exited as well. The exit that she had taken was a desolate one, and Lois' car and the other car were the only ones on the road. "Way to go Lois," she mumbled to herself. The car sped up and bumped her rear bumper. "Oh!" she cried out in shock and fear. She sped up. The car behind her sped up as well. She felt the car hit her rear bumper with more force than before. "Ohh!" she cried out again. She looked in the rearview mirror to see the black car allowing some distance between them. She knew he was gearing up to smash into her car again. She saw the car picking up speed and closing in on her. She braced for the impact, but instead, nothing happened. She looked in her mirror and saw the car spinning out of control with smoke coming from his tire. Letting out a huge sigh of relief, she hit the gas and sped on down the desolate road.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lex slammed his hand onto the steering wheel angrily once his car stopped spinning. He got out and saw a small hole in his front tire. "I had her! She was right there!" he yelled to the empty road. He kicked his tire, enraged at his bad luck. _She got away this time, _he thought. _It won't happen again._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As Lois drove down the desolate road, a familiar figure caught her eye a few miles later. "Clark!" she exclaimed pulling off the side of the road and flying into her husband's arms.

He gathered her in a tight hug and held her close. They stayed in a tight embrace for several minutes before pulling away. "Are you OK?" he asked, his eyes full of concern for her. He put his hand lovingly to his cheek.

Lois nodded as tears formed in her eyes, allowing herself to finally process what had just happened to her. Clark gathered her back in his arms and held her.

"I'm here," he soothed. "You're safe now."

"I assume I have you to thank for Lex's car being spun around and his tire blowing out?" Lois asked, wiping the tears off her face once she had composed herself.

"Of course," Clark said. He met Lois' eyes with a perplexed expression. "Why didn't you call out for me? You know I would have been here in a millisecond, and could have rescued you sooner."

Lois' eyes narrowed. "Clark," she said flatly. "I was being tailed by _Lex Luthor. _He's insane! He's dangerous. And we already know he's trying to lure Superman out. I couldn't give him what he wanted! He probably had Kryptonite on him! I knew you would have been here in a millisecond and that is exactly why I did _not_ call out for you. Just like you don't know what you would do if anything ever happened to me and this baby, I don't know what I would ever do without you in my life."

Clark leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm sorry," he said. "I thought you were reverting back to your old ways of trying to be 'Lois Lane - hero.' I never should have doubted your motives. I know how important keeping this baby safe is to you."

"And keeping you safe," Lois said as she leaned into him.

"Let's get out of here," Clark told her.

"That sounds like a plan," she agreed.


	8. Chapter 8

Eight weeks passed and Lois and Clark had not seen nor heard anything regarding Lex Luthor. Little did they know, he watched them every day from behind his impressive disguise as a janitor. He studied them as they worked. His accomplice followed Clark Kent whenever he left the building, and Lex followed Lois whenever she left the building. Nothing suspicious had ever been found. Neither Lex nor his accomplice had stumbled across anything linking Lois to having an affair with Superman. In fact, in the entire time that Lex and his accomplice were studying Lois, Clark, and Superman, it seemed that the rescues between Lois and Superman had become a thing of the past. Lex suspected she was being more careful once she got pregnant, and he knew that she had to be six or seven months pregnant now seeing as how that's the length of time he had been watching them from afar. Her pregnancy was making her the perfect target. A vulnerable target. A weak target. Lex knew it wouldn't be long before he made his next big move.

His cell phone ringing startled Lex out of his depraved daydreams. "What?" he demanded into the phone.

"Hey boss," the man with the glasses said on the other line. "I've got something you're gonna want to see."

"Yeah, what is it?" Lex asked.

"Tess Mercer's hard drive. I needed a break from tailing Kent around on boring assignment after boring assignment so I went back to the drawing board. You said your fascination with Lane and Kent started after you found this Tess Mercer chick dead right in front of you, and you discovered that she was friends with our favorite reporters, so I decided why not start at the beginning where all of this started?"

"I want to see it," Lex growled.

"Only under one condition," the man growled. "What I've stumbled upon is good. Really good. I want $10,000. You have until tomorrow night at midnight to get it. No money; no information."

"Don't worry," Lex replied sinisterly. "I'll give you what you deserve."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The next day, Lex was out following Lois - as he did most days - while remaining inconspicuous. He donned a new disguise of a full beard and a blonde toupee. He followed from a far distance. Lois was out and about running errands. Lex hadn't seen Clark in quite awhile.

Lex watched from across the street as Lois went into a cafe. She came back out with a cup of coffee and a muffin in hand and sat down at one of the tables on the cafe's patio. Lex watched suspiciously as a man wearing a baseball cap pulled down low and sunglasses approached her. He couldn't hear what was going on, but he saw Lois stand up and walk into the back alley with the man - all while looking around with a look of distress on her face. Lex crossed the street as quickly as he could and ran to the back alley where Lois and the man had disappeared. When Lex found the two, he was shocked. His accomplice - the man with the glasses - was holding Lois at gunpoint. _He's gone rogue! _Lex thought to himself about his accomplice. He crouched around the corner out of view so nobody would know he was spying.

"I don't know what you want from me," Lex heard Lois saying. "Please, don't hurt me. I'm 7 months pregnant. I'm no threat to you."

"No, you're not a threat to me," the man said while keeping the gun aimed at Lois. "You're going to be my biggest ally. You're going to help me own the world. You see, I _know_. I know there's a special little secret that you have….and now, I'm in on that little secret. I'm happy to keep your little secret. For a price."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Lois said. "Whatever you think you know about me, you must be mistaken."

"Oh, Ms. Lane, surely you don't expect me to actually believe you," the man answered. "I know the secret, and you know exactly what I'm talking about, so let's just talk specifics. You call your husband. Tell him the situation. Then we'll all sit down and have a nice chat about it what my price is to keep this special little secret."

Lex was watching this take place in utter confusion. What secret did the man have? Why didn't he divulge his information to Lex?

"I'm not calling anybody," Lois said, her voice starting to shake.

"Oh, really?" the man asked, menacingly. "You're willing to sacrifice your life and the life of your baby just to protect this secret?"

"No," Lois said angrily. "I'm willing to fight for it." With that, she grabbed his gun-wielding arm and thrust it high above his head so that the gun was pointing to the sky. She brought her knee up forcefully to get him in the groin.

"Oh!" he groaned in pain.

Lois started to run away when the man grabbed her hair and pulled her backwards. "Ahhh!" she yelled out. The man turned her around so she was facing him and delivered a swift punch to her eye. "Ohhh!" she groaned again.

The man wrapped both of his hands around her throat. "Lady, you've pissed off the wrong guy," he hissed in her ear. "Call him….or die."

All Lois could do was make choking and gagging sounds at this point. She couldn't breathe. She was seeing spots. "C-Cl-" she whispered before passing out. The man let her drop to the ground.

Lex came out from around the corner with a gun pointing at the man. "You betrayed me," Lex started. "What information do you have on her? What is this secret you discovered?"

"No way," the man answered. "Not until I get my money. You promised me $10,000. You said you would give it to me. Show me the money and I'll show you the information."

"I never said I had your money. I said I'll give you what you deserve," Lex said cocking the gun. The man's eyes widened in terror. Lex continued on. "Your help has been much appreciated, but I'm afraid that I'm no longer in need of your services. Besides, nobody is going to know more than me." With that, he pulled the trigger and the man went down. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

At the sound of the gunshot, the people in the cafe started screaming and the back door of the cafe opened. Lex quickly hid out of sight.

"Someone call 911!" Lex heard one of the cafe employees yell at the sight of Lois unconscious and the other man dead from a gunshot wound.

Superman flew down in a flash. "I heard yelling," he said. "Is everyone alright?"

"Superman, we just heard a gunshot and came out and saw this lady unconscious and this man dead," the employee answered.

Superman looked behind him where the employees were directing his attention, and froze in terror. "Lois."

Lex watched the look on Superman's face. The color had drained from Superman's face immediately when he laid eyes on Lois.

Superman rushed to Lois' side. He checked her neck for a pulse. "Lois? Lois?"

Lex continued studying Superman's hand. Lex watched Superman's hand move from her neck as he found her pulse to moving it to her cheek. Superman's thumb gently caressed her cheek and he cradled her head in the crook of his arm. There was definitely something romantic between Lois and Superman. Lex was sure of it. And he knew exactly what his next move was going to be.

"I'm taking Ms. Lane to the hospital," Superman said to the cafe employees. "She and her baby need immediate medical attention." With that, Superman tenderly picked Lois up and flew off.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lois woke up and saw stark white walls and unfamiliar surroundings. "Cla-" she tried to get out, but she stopped suddenly when she felt excruciating pain in her throat.

"Shhhh, I'm here, I'm right here," Clark's voice soothed. Lois felt him take her hand in his and his other hand smoothed her hair and lovingly cupped her cheek. He kissed her hand that he was holding multiple times. "You're OK," he said in a relieved voice.

Lois' free hand rubbed her expanded belly. She looked at Clark wide-eyed. "The baby? Is the baby OK?"

"The baby is fine," Clark assured. "The doctors said you should both make a full recovery. I'm so glad. When I saw you lying in the alley unconscious, my heart absolutely sank. What happened?"

Lois struggled to push herself up on the pillow of her bed and Clark helped her. "He - he knew," she whispered.

"Who knew? Knew what?" Clark asked.

"I was getting coffee at the cafe," Lois explained, continuing to whisper. "A man came up to me and said he knew you were Superman and that you were in the back alley. He told me to go with him, or you would die. I went. You weren't there. I tried to fight back and get away. Being a 3-time black belt in karate isn't that helpful when a pregnant belly gets in your way. He grabbed me by the hair, punched me in the face, and wrapped his hands around my neck. He told me to call for you. I - I couldn't breathe. I was seeing spots. The next thing I know, I woke up here."

"Was it Lex?" Clark asked.

Lois shook her head 'no.' "I don't know who it was, but it was definitely not Lex."

"I'm just so glad that you're alright," Clark said leaning in and kissing her.

"What are we going to do about this man?" Lois asked. "He knows your secret. He knows our baby's secret."

"The man is dead," Clark said in a confused voice. "I thought maybe you had killed him in self-defense."

"No," Lois said. "He got a hold of my throat and was choking me. It wasn't me."

"Who else was in that alley to have done such a thing?" Clark asked.

"I don't know," Lois said.

"Lois, I think we have to consider our best possibility," Clark said.

"Lex," Lois agreed.

"I flew up to the fortress a couple of months ago," Clark started, hesitantly. "When Lex was chasing you in his car and I realized that he's been following you, I went to talk to Jor-El. He'd already warned us not to let anyone know that you were carrying my baby because it would be a very detrimental situation for all 3 of us. He told me that he has the capability of letting you live at the Fortress. He can adjust the temperature to be your desired temperature, and could fix the Fortress to allow for cell phones and WiFi capabilities so that you can continue working remotely."

"You want me to go into hiding?" Lois asked. "I want to protect this baby as much as you do, but I don't know if that's the right solution. I mean, if I were just staying there until I had the baby that'd be one thing, but am I staying there _forever?_ Until Lex isn't on the loose anymore? Until all the criminals are locked up?"

"Lois, I know it's a lot to ask of you," Clark said. "I don't know what the long-term solution would be, but I want to keep you and the baby as safe as possible. Will you at least think about it as a short-term solution?"

"I'll think about it as a short-term solution," Lois promised.

"Thank you," Clark said. He leaned over and kissed her lips.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

A few hours later, Lois' vital signs and the baby's vital signs were strong and stable. The doctor cleared Lois to be released from the hospital and Clark was able to take her home. It was well past midnight when they were finally able to climb into bed.

"How do you feel?" Clark asked.

Lois smiled at him. "The baby and I are both fine, Smallville," Lois said sweetly. She was overtaken by a yawn. "But man, I'm exhausted," Lois said in a raspy voice. Her throat was still sore, but it felt much better than before.

"Get some sleep," Clark told her, putting his hand to her belly and giving her a kiss. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she replied as she turned over and fell asleep.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lois awoke the next morning to sunshine pouring in her bedroom. She looked at the clock next to her bed and saw that it read 9:30.

"Rise and shine, Ms. Lane," a strange voice rang out in Lois' bedroom. Her eyes widened in terror. She slowly rolled over. Standing on the other side of the bed was none other than Lex Luthor.


	9. Chapter 9

*****I went back and re-read ch 9 and found some story glitches from where I had made previous edits. I fixed them, so ch 9 has a few minor revisions to it.*****

_Lois awoke the next morning to sunshine pouring in her bedroom. She looked at the clock next to her bed and saw that it read 9:30. _

"_Rise and shine, Ms. Lane," a strange voice rang out in Lois' bedroom. Her eyes widened in terror. She slowly rolled over. Standing on the other side of the bed was none other than Lex Luthor._

"Lex Luthor," Lois said slowly, in a guarded tone. She carefully pushed herself up onto her pillows behind her. She looked around the room. Clark was nowhere to be seen. "Where is Clark?"

Lex spoke in a smug and all-knowing tone of voice. "I saw your husband leave not too long ago, and I figured it wouldn't be long before your other lover flew in to see you. When he does, I want to make sure I'm ready for him as well."

"What - what are you talking about?" Lois asked, fear creeping into her voice. What did Lex know? What was he intending on doing?

"Ms. Lane, I've been watching you and your husband for a long time," Lex said. "It all started because I wanted to find out why you two always seemed to get the Superman exclusives for the Daily Planet. It didn't take me long to find out the reason."

Lois gulped as she feared the words that were about to come out of Lex's mouth. Did he know that Clark was Superman? That would put her whole family in grave danger. Lois tried her best to sound confident before speaking again. "Clark and I get a lot of Superman exclusives because we're good reporters."

"My sources tell me otherwise," Lex continued. "I've seen with my own eyes. Superman has never once saved you and Clark together, but he's saved you by yourself on many occasions. I was in that alley yesterday when you were held at gunpoint. I saw the way he tenderly cupped your cheek and cradled you in his arms. You're having an affair with him."

Lois breathed a sigh of relief. She was fine with Lex thinking she was having an affair. He made no indication that he knew that she was actually _married_ to Superman.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lois answered.

"Well, you'd better hope he cares about you in _some_ way," Lex added, slowly pulling a gun out of his pocket. "Because if he doesn't, you and your baby are goners."

"Are you so deranged you would kill a pregnant woman in cold blood?" Lois demanded, stalling for time.

"Don't worry, Ms. Lane," Lex told her. "You're just the bait. Not the target." He pulled a box out of his pocket and Lois swallowed hard. She was certain she knew what was in that box and she was terrified of Lex opening it.

"What is that?" she asked him, still trying to stall.

"Oh, I think you know," Lex answered as he opened the box to reveal a large green piece of meteor rock.

Lois immediately felt a wave of nausea and dizziness overtake her. Pain was radiating throughout her entire body.

Lex's eyes remained on the box of Kryptonite. "This. This beauty is my ticket to unlimited power." He was unaware that Lois had had any adverse reaction from the Kryptonite exposure. He slammed the box shut, and made eye contact with Lois.

Lois tried her best to not show that Kryptonite had affected her at all. She worked hard to get her breathing back to normal before speaking to him. "Why do you have Kryptonite? What do you want with Superman?"

Lex smiled - an evil smile. "My plan is simple, Ms. Lane. I'm going to call Superman. I'll tell him that I plan to kill you if he doesn't show his face. And when he does come to rescue you, which I am positive he will, _I _will be the one to let him know that I know about your affair. _I _will be the one to demand the price at which I will keep this secret. The 3 of us will have a very beautiful, working relationship. You do what I say, and nobody needs to know about you and your out-of-this-world affair." He, once again, pointed the gun at Lois. "Stand up," he demanded.

"Really, Lex? I was in the hospital most of the day yesterday. I was held at gunpoint. Again. So, if it's all the same with you, I'm fine in my bed, thanks," Lois answered in a biting tone.

Lex gave a halfhearted chortle. "You're acting like you're the one in charge here," he replied. "I'm not a patient man, and I don't like repeating myself." He lowered his gun to where it was pointing right at her belly.

Lois gulped - fearing she was crossing the line with this madman. "Whoa, Lex," she said, putting both hands in the air. "No need to resort for violence. Just give me a minute. I'm not quite as fast on my feet as I was 7 months ago." She stood up slowly, still feeling weak from the Kryptonite exposure.

"You know, before I call your boyfriend here, I do have a question that I have yet to figure out. I have watched you for a long time. You seem to be genuinely in love with your husband. How do you put on such a believable facade?"

"I refuse to answer that," Lois spat out.

Lex shrugged. "No worries. In a few minutes, we'll all lay everything out in the open, and there will be no. more. secrets." He kept his gun pointed at Lois while he walked backwards towards the bed, and knelt to put the box under the bed. "He'll never see it coming," he whispered maniacally. He opened the box.

Lois, once again, was overcome with pain radiating her body. Nausea and dizziness were making it hard for her to focus on what Lex was doing. She closed her eyes and focused on breathing deeply. She reached out for her dresser that was next to her, and hunched over while gripping the dresser tightly.

"Oh, Superman," Lex called out in a sing-song voice. He stood up from where he had been kneeling and started pacing the floor, still unaware that Lois was showing clear signs of distress from the Kryptonite. "It is Lex Luthor, the greatest criminal mind in human history. I am here at the house of your lover, Lois La-" Lex stopped as he laid eyes on Lois. She was tightly clutching the dresser and hunched over. He walked over to her. Sweat droplets were beading all over her forehead. Her breathing was heavy and labored. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "What's wrong with you?" he asked unsympathetically.

"Lex, I - I need help," she choked out. "The baby-" With that, she dropped to the ground and curled up in the fetal position, tightly clutching her belly.

"You were fine just a minute ago," Lex muttered to himself. "Why are you all the sudden -?" Lex stopped as a wicked grin spread across his face. "Wait a minute." He dashed to the other side of the bed and knelt down to the box of Kryptonite under the bed and closed the lid quietly. Her back was turned to him. Lex didn't want Lois knowing what he was doing. Once the lid closed, he watched as Lois' body relaxed and he heard her breathing returning to normal. "No way," he whispered to himself in disbelief. He opened the box again. Lois curled up tightly in the fetal position again.

"Mmmm!" she tried stifling a groan of pain.

Lex walked around to where she lay moaning on the floor. "This is even better," he said. "You're not just having an affair with Superman; you're carrying his baby."

Suddenly, a red and blue blur came crashing through the bedroom window. Faster than Lex could see, it blurred in and blurred right back out. The spot on the floor in which Lois Lane had been was now empty.

"SUPERMAN!" Lex yelled, enraged at what had just happened. "THIS MEANS WAR! I will find you! I will find your lover! Your girlfriend and your baby are dead! Do you hear me?! DEAD!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Clark didn't stop flying until he was safe at the Fortress. He carefully placed Lois down on a bed and flopped on his back beside her. He was breathing heavily and sweat was running down the side of his face.

"Clark!" Lois exclaimed, turning her full attention to him. She put both hands to his cheeks, her eyes searching his frantically. "Are you OK?! How did you do that?! Lex had a big chunk of green meteor rock in our room!"

"I'm fine," he said, struggling to sit up. Lois took hold of his hand and helped him sit up. He was struggling to get his breathing back to normal. "I'm - I'm just a little weak." He rubbed her belly, and put a hand to Lois' cheek. "Oh my God, Lois, are you OK? Is the baby OK?"

"Yeah," Lois answered. "Yeah, I think so. I'm also weak, but I feel much better."

"Thank God," Clark said, breathing a sigh of relief and gathering his wife tightly in his arms.

"Clark, how in the world did you do that?" Lois asked again. "That much Kryptonite usually renders you completely powerless. You flew in like a bolt of lightning, picked me up, and were able to fly us all back to the Fortress. You must be in so much pain right now."

"No, no, I'm OK," Clark assured. "I am weak, and in a little pain, but nothing that a little rest won't cure. I'm just so glad you and the baby are OK. I was so scared when I heard Lex's voice telling me he was with you. I thought my worst nightmare was coming true." He put his hand to the back of Lois' head and gently brought her face close to his and they shared an intimate kiss. "You really are my biggest source of strength," he continued. "That's how I was able to do what I did. As soon as I heard Lex's voice, I flew to the apartment. I watched everything from above, and listened in the entire time. I knew that he had Kryptonite. I knew that you and the baby were being affected by it. I could see how much pain you were in. Once I saw you doubled over in pain, all I could focus on was getting you out of there. The pain of the meteor rock was nothing compared to the pain that I knew you were suffering."

Lois threw herself into Clark's arms and kissed him passionately. She pulled away and looked at him with a big smile on her face. "Clark Kent, I don't know what I've ever done to deserve you. You are the most selfless man I've ever met and I love you so much."

Clark returned the smile and came in close for a sweet peck on the lips. "I love you, too. You and our baby are the most important things in my life. I'd do anything for you."

"I know," Lois assured.

"We need to figure out what we're going to do about Lex," Clark said.

"There's no question," Lois said. "He knows too much. Our baby is in too much danger. If I go back to Metropolis, or even Smallville, it would only be a matter of time before he kidnapped me again to get to our baby. I have to stay here and protect this little one."

"You're OK with that?" Clark asked.

"As long as Jor-El really can keep me warm and connected to the Planet through Wi-Fi," Lois added with a sly smile.

"Jor-El!" Clark called out.

"Yes, my son, I'm here," Jor-El answered.

"Somebody found out that Lois is pregnant with my child. The baby's and her safety is in grave danger. She's willing and ready to stay here and hide out for the time being as long as you can adjust the temperature for her and become Wi-Fi accessible so that she can continue working," Clark explained to the Fortress.

"I would love nothing more than to protect the ones you most dearly love, Kal-El," Jor-El replied. All of the sudden, a warm light was cast down on Lois. "Lois, this light will follow you wherever you go. It will remain at your perfect temperature at all times."

"Thank you, Jor-El," Lois said. "That feels amazing."

"As for your Wi-Fi request, Krypton was a highly intelligent planet, and I have been equipped to handle any and all Earthy technological advances from the beginning. Your Wi-Fi requests are already met." There was a pause. "Lois, I appreciate you allowing me to keep you and your offspring with Kal-El safe. As long as you remain in the Fortress, no harm shall befall you."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's note: Hey everyone, sorry it's taken me so long to update. Life got in the way and I got a bad case of writer's block. I didn't want to put out just any**_ _**work, and wanted to make sure I was only putting out my best efforts, so I hope you all enjoy and that you find it's been worth the wait.**_

_**Also, I have to say a BIG thank you all so much to everyone who has left a comment. I read every comment and they seriously make my day! Hope you all enjoy chapter 10! **_

Lex paced angrily around his building. He had her - he had Lois Lane right where he wanted her, and even better, he found out that she was carrying Superman's baby! How was Superman able to fly in so fast _with Kryptonite present_, and get Lois out?! Lex knew that his next move would have to wait awhile. He had to wait until they let their guards down again.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Lois, I just talked to Emil, and he's in on what we're doing. If anybody asks, our story is that you're on doctor-prescribed bed rest for the remainder of your pregnancy due to complications," Clark told Lois. "This way, nobody will be suspicious why you're never in office at the Planet. I'll fly back to Metropolis to work and do Superman duties, but I'll always fly back to the Fortress to be with you as much as possible. And you know that you can just whisper my name and I'll hear you, and will be back in a flash."

Lois smiled warmly at her husband. "I know." She paused for a moment and looked away from Clark.

Clark took her hand in his. "What's wrong?"

"I'm worried about you and your safety," she replied. "Now that Lex knows that I'm carrying your baby he is going to try to lure Superman out using any means possible." She stood up and walked away from Clark. She began to pace nervously. "I mean, now, anytime you go on a save, I'm always going to wonder if it's a real save. What if Lex sets up a fake emergency? What if he tries to kill you? What if he kills someone else just to lure you out and then kills you?" She continued pacing. "Why? Why did I have to let him see my weakness?" she muttered rhetorically to herself. "The General always taught me to never show weakness to our enemies. Of all people, why did Lex have to see me have an adverse reaction to that stupid rock? Why couldn't I have been stronger and played it tough? I am Lois Lane after all -"

Her mutterings and self-deprecating talk was suddenly interrupted by strong arms gathering her in a loving embrace. She allowed herself to be held and comforted by her husband for a moment before he pulled away.

"First of all, you are Lois Lane _Kent_, and the Lois Lane _Kent_ that I know allows herself to be vulnerable and show pain and weakness. Second of all, you can NOT blame yourself for what happened with Lex. Lex Luthor is a sick, deranged man who derives evil pleasure from seeing others suffer. If you hadn't have shown your weakness to the rock, I would have still come in to save you; however, me knowing that you and the baby were suffering because of the Kryptonite, it gave me the strength that I needed to get you out of there. Lois, none of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong, OK?"

Lois took a deep breath. "I know," she admitted. "I know. None of this is my fault. Lex is sick." She met Clark's eyes with her own fear-filled ones. "Promise me that you'll be extra careful when you go on saves, though. You have to make sure that Lex isn't around. The thought of anything happening to you just -" her voice trailed off as she didn't want to finish that sentence.

Clark wrapped his arms around her and brought her in close. "I will be very careful. Nothing will happen to me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"OK, Smallville, I'm totally fine staying up here to protect the baby," Lois started saying a few hours later, "and I love that Jor-El can hook me up with Wi-Fi and a warm light, but can he hook me up with a bathroom?"

Clark smiled as he noticed his wife dancing around. "Baby suddenly move?" he asked.

"No," she answered. "It's because I have a 4 pound bowling ball resting on my bladder. Now, can your dear old dad help me out?"

"Jor-El told me that he set the Fortress up as an 'ask and you shall receive' building for you. He knew you would have human needs to meet that I don't have. This Fortress is highly intellectual. Just ask for what you need, and it should be given to you.'

Lois' eyes lit up in excitement. "Jor-El, can I have a maple donut?"

"I thought you had to go to the bathroom!" Clark laughed.

"It can wait a few minutes," Lois said. As they spoke, the middle of the Fortress lit up and a white ice pillar rose up from out of the ground, holding a maple donut.

"Wow!" Lois exclaimed in excitement as she took a bite. "Oh, this is delicious!" She started shifting her weight from one foot to another. "Jor-El, can you please create a bathroom for me?"

Once again, a bright light in the Fortress shone, and a full bathroom appeared.

"This is fantastic!" Lois said, her eyes shining as she waddled quickly towards the bathroom.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

For the next six weeks, Lois and Clark hid out at the Fortress. Anytime Clark went on a call as Superman, he was always looking over his shoulder to see if Lex was hiding out - ready to strike.

It was a regular Monday morning when Clark walked into his office at the Daily Planet, and froze. Lex Luthor was standing in front of him.

Clark slammed the office door shut and grabbed Lex by the collar, pinning him against a wall. "You have some nerve showing your face in here," Clark growled. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now."

"Testy, testy," Lex answered in a smug voice. "I guess finding out your wife was banging Superman on the side would do that to anyone, though."

Clark punched Lex in the face. "Don't you dare talk about _my_ wife that way!" He tossed Lex to the side. "You have 3 seconds to get out of here before I'm tempted to throw you out that window."

"You haven't even heard what I have to offer you," Lex told him.

"I have no interest in anything that you could offer me," Clark snarled.

"You have no interest in ending the love affair between Superman and your wife - _permanently?_" Lex asked in a maniacal tone.

"There is no love affair going on between Superman and my wife," Clark answered nonchalantly.

"Really? Then where is she?" Lex demanded. "I haven't seen her with you for the last, oh I don't know, 6 weeks or so. Amazingly, the last time I saw her was right before Superman whisked her out of her bedroom." Lex walked in a slow and calculated manner, stopping just inches from Clark's face and lowering his voice to an evil whisper. "So, is Superman hiding her so that he can do her anytime he wants? Or are you hiding her and still pretending that she is completely faithful to you?"

Clark wanted to punch Lex in the face again. He was filled with so much rage at Lex's awful words against his wife that Clark knew he wouldn't be able to withhold his strength and could potentially kill Lex with a super blow to the head.

"_I _am keeping my wife and _my_ unborn baby safe from the evil monster that you are," Clark growled in response.

"I don't understand how you can be so naive when it is _soooo_ obvious!" Lex shouted. "Your whore of a wife has been bangin' boots with the world's greatest superhero and is carrying his child. How can you still defend her? She was only in pain when the meteor rock was present. Superman came in and whisked her away because he was worried for his unborn baby. What will it take for you to admit that I'm right? You need me in your corner right now."

"I am _done_ with this conversation," Clark seethed. "Don't you dare ever talk about my wife, talk to my wife, or come in contact with my wife again." His voice was low, steady, and ominous. "Because if you do, I _will_ make good on my threat to kill you. Now….get out." With that, Clark opened the door and Lex walked out.

As Lex left the Daily Planet, he reflected on his conversation that had just taken place. Why was Clark so confident in his wife's fidelity? How could he not even doubt a little bit that she was carrying Superman's child? How could Lois put on such a believable act that she was over-the-moon in love with Clark all while having an affair with another man? Suddenly, a cocky and evil grin came across Lex's lips. He had a revelation. A _big _revelation. What if Clark Kent was still defending the accusation that Lois was carrying Superman's baby because Clark Kent _was _Superman?


	11. Chapter 11

Not long after Clark's work day ended, he was getting ready to fly up to the Fortress when he heard a woman calling for help. He flew to the scene and saw that there had been a car accident just a few miles away from the Daily Planet. The two cars were a mangled mess, and one had flames coming from it.

"Superman!" the woman entrapped in the flaming car called. "Help! I'm stuck!"

Superman quickly flew down and blew out the fire, and helped free the woman from the car right as the ambulance arrived. The paramedics quickly took over at the scene of the accident.

"You're in good hands now," Superman comforted the woman. As he turned to fly off, his eye caught a familiar face in the crowd that had formed. Lex Luthor. Superman made eye contact with Lex. Lex waved and smiled smugly.

"Superman, thank you for your help today," one of the firefighters said, coming up from behind.

Superman turned and shook the man's hand. When he turned back to the crowd, Lex was nowhere to be seen.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Superman flew back to the Fortress that evening just before dinner time.

"Hey," Lois said to him. Clark immediately could hear the less-than-cheery tone of her voice. Superman spun out of his cape and into his Clark clothes. Clark bent his head down and gave his wife a kiss.

"Hey hon..." he responded, cautiously. He rubbed her very expanded belly. Lois' due date was only 3 weeks away. "How are the two of you doing?"

"Clark! Look at me!" Lois exclaimed, her voice raising more than she intended.

"You look beautiful," Clark answered honestly. He was confused as to where this was coming from. "You're very pregnant with my baby. There is nothing sexier than that." He smiled a sexy grin and put his hands on each of her hips. "Why don't you tell me where all this is coming from? What's really bothering you?"

Lois let out an exasperated sigh and stepped out of his grasp as she began pacing. "What's really bothering me?" she repeated. "Oh, I don't know," she began sarcastically. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm 37 weeks pregnant and ginormous and can't get comfortable. Ever! Or maybe it's because I just love being cooped up in the Fortress with no one to talk to, and constantly worrying if my husband is being tortured to death by means of a green rock at the hands of a madman!"

Clark looked at Lois with surprise in his eyes. "Lois, how long have you been feeling like this?" he asked her. "I've come and spent every single moment that I have available up here with you. Every time I've asked you how you were feeling, you've reassured me that you were fine, and you were happy to know that you were keeping the baby safe."

"How could you have not seen it, Clark?" Lois quipped with a flash of anger in her eyes. She could feel her emotions rise as some suppressed feelings of anger and resentment started making their way to the surface. "I'm your _wife_, remember? You're supposed to know me better than anyone! Yes, keeping this baby safe is my number one priority, but that doesn't mean that I have to _like_ it! Your safety is in jeopardy, too, but you're still out and about flying wherever you want to go, not even caring about the danger that Lex is!"

"How can you even _think_ that about me?!" Clark asked, his voice raising. "Let me get this straight. You're upset with me because you're my wife and _I'm_ supposed to know _you_ well enough to have seen how lonely you were up here, but you have the audacity to accuse _me_ of _not caring _of the danger that Lex is?! Lois, Lex Luthor is on my mind 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The threat he presents, not only to myself, but to you, our baby, and the entire planet as well, haunts me every minute of every day. Each day that I'm not here with you, I worry that Lex is hiding somewhere figuring out a way to find you, and hurt you. And hurt our baby. The fact that you think I think so little of him hurts, Lois."

Lois stared at her husband, not knowing what to say. "_Way to go, Lane," she silently reprimanded herself. "He's done nothing wrong. You're just taking out your loneliness, fears, and resentment on your husband. Your husband who loves you more than anything." _She sighed deeply as she awkwardly sat down on the bed, her protruding belly making much movement at all to be very difficult. "Listen, Clark -" she started.

"You know what? I need to cool off a bit before we talk again," Clark said coldly. "I'll see you later." With that, he flew out of the Fortress.

Clark's sudden departure just magnified Lois' feelings of loneliness and resentment towards him. "Fine!" she yelled after him, knowing he could hear her. "You go jet-setting off to save the world like always! Must be nice!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lex Luthor sat in his hideout mulling over his theory. Was it possible that Superman had really been disguising himself as a mild-mannered reporter and nobody had figured it out? If Clark Kent and Superman really were one in the same, Lex figured that the only way to get Clark in Lex's control would be to threaten the life of Lois and the baby. The only problem was Lex hadn't seen Lois in over 6 weeks - not since Superman had whisked Lois out of her bedroom after Lex had seen her reaction to Kryptonite.

Lex had to find a way to get Clark into his hideout. He smiled an evil grin as a thought came to his mind. He knew exactly how he would lure Lois Lane out of hiding, and the three of them would form a beautiful working relationship.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Superman was flying over the skies of Metropolis, replaying the night's events with Lois in his head. He felt guilty over how quickly they were in a heated argument and was about to turn around to go back to the Fortress when he heard a cry for help. He headed towards the direction of the cries. When he got to the scene, a man dressed all in black was holding a gun on a woman. The man's back was facing Superman.

"Let her go. Now." Superman spoke authoritatively.

"Run," the man dressed in black whispered to the lady. She did as she was told and took off running away from the man and Superman.

"Care to tell me why you were terrorizing that young woman tonight?" Superman asked.

The man in black slowly turned around so that Superman saw his face.

"Lex Luthor."

"Clark Kent," Lex said menacingly. With that, Lex held the gun up and pulled the trigger. Superman went down in a heap.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As it got later and later, Lois began to wonder where Clark was. He had flown away almost 4 hours ago. Lois knew he was upset and frustrated with her and the things she had said, but she didn't expect him to be gone this long. Thinking that maybe a big story had erupted that had warranted Superman's help, Lois decided to flip on the television to see if there was any mention of anything Superman-worthy.

She was flipping channels of the same, mundane shows: doctors falling in love with other doctors, men giving roses to women they barely knew, game shows, and finally something made her stop and gasp. Every channel she flipped to was showing the exact same image - Superman sprawled on the floor - a bullet wound in his chest. "Oh my God," she cried with tears spilling down her cheeks. A voice began speaking. His face wasn't shown, but Lois knew exactly whose voice it was.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I do apologize for interrupting some of your favorite shows, but I need to get a message to a very special person, and I'm afraid this was the only way to do so. You know who you are. You have 24 hours to show your face in Metropolis. Anywhere in Metropolis. I have eyes everywhere. Come to Metropolis, and I save your superhero. Then the three of us can work out every last detail of our business relationship. If you don't come to Metropolis, then your superhero dies." There was a brief pause before Lex continued speaking. "To all of you out there who I am NOT talking to….if anybody else shows up, and I mean _ANYONE_ who this message is not intended for, your superhero dies!" The video feed remained on Superman's limp body before re-playing the same voice-over message over and over again. Lois sat in stunned silence for several minutes before snapping back to reality.

"Jor-El!" Lois cried as tears streamed down her face. "Somebody is holding Kal-El hostage and will not release him until I show myself in Metropolis. Can you please send me back?! I have to save your son!" Tears continued to stream. Her voice was barely a whisper anymore before she continued. "I need to save my husband."

"Lois, as much as I want to save my son, by sending you to him I can no longer guarantee your safety, or the safety of this baby," Jor-El stated.

"Jor-El, he will die if I don't do this!" Lois begged.

The Fortress was silent for a moment.

"Jor-El, please!" Lois begged again. "I love Kal-El with all my heart. I cannot lose him."

"Alright, Lois," Jor-El agreed. "I will send you back to Metropolis on one condition. Bring Kal-El's captor back here. I will see to it that he never harms you, Kal-El, or my heir."

"Yes, Jor-El, I understand," Lois said. "I will make it happen."

The entire Fortress glowed, and the next thing Lois knew she was standing outside of Clark's and her apartment.

"OK, I'm here," she said out loud, to nobody. She turned around in a slow circle to see if she caught a glimpse of Lex or anybody suspicious watching her. After all, he said he had eyes everywhere. Her stomach cramped and her back ached. "OK, Lane, this is what you get for not eating dinner," she muttered to herself as she rubbed her very expanded belly. She then put both hands to her back to try and massage out the kinks. "Your husband needs you at 100%. Focus on him." With her little pep talk to herself finished, and still no sign of Lex, Lois decided to walk a couple of blocks to her favorite burger place. Surely a little comfort food would comfort her aching stomach, and she figured the light walking would ease the tension in her back muscles.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As she finished the last bite of her cheeseburger on a park bench at the park, a familiar voice came up behind her.

"I see you got my message."


	12. Chapter 12

Lois stood up and walked up to Lex with a confident air. "You are a sick and twisted bastard," she told him in a menacing tone. "You _think_ you know some dirty little secret on me, so you kidnap and harm our world's greatest hero? You got me. I'm here. Now where is Superman?"

"I'm surprised you're not more upset about your situation," Lex said matter-of-factly. "Given the fact that he's not only the world's greatest hero -" Lex lowered his voice to a hissing whisper. "- but your _husband_ as well."

"What did you do to him anyways?" Lois demanded, not confirming nor denying Lex's claim. "Why was he sprawled on the floor?"

"I shot him," Lex said coldly.

"You - you what?!" Lois exclaimed. She knew enough about Lex not to try and appeal to his emotions. He had none. She knew to appeal to his practical side. "There will be no business dealings if Superman is dead. You know that, right?"

Lex just smirked. "Oh ye of little faith. I removed the bullet right after I shot the video that you saw. From notes I got off of Kent's computer, I learned that he heals from the yellow sun. I also know that the source of his power is the yellow sun. So, your husband is fine. Well, perhaps the word 'fine' is not the right word. I mean, he's in pain and agony from the bullet penetrating him, but the bullet has been removed and he's been bandaged up pretty good to keep him from bleeding out. He's also completely powerless right now since he hasn't been exposed to the sunlight."

"Ugh, you are such a monster," Lois said.

"Let's go see him, shall we?" Lex said.

Lois followed Lex half a mile to a dirty, dilapidated building. They walked inside. Lex led her to the basement.

"After you," he said, holding his hand out to let her know he wanted her to walk down the stairs first. Lois looked at him with uncertainty in her eyes. "If you're concerned about your well-being, I can assure you I don't intend on hurting you right now." He placed his hands on her belly and squatted down to be eye level with her belly. "You're carrying very precious cargo." A slap to his cheek brought him back to reality.

"You will not lay a finger on me. Or my baby," Lois said authoritatively.

Lex grabbed her throat in a choke hold and applied just enough pressure to hurt her and make her gasp for breath. He lowered his voice to a menacing whisper. "Keep in mind," he started. "Once this baby is outside of you, I have no use for you." His hand was quickly ripped away from Lois' throat, and he was suddenly face to face with Clark Kent.

"Get your hands off my wife," Clark growled at Lex. Lex shoved past Clark, making sure to use his shoulder to bump Clark on his injured side. Clark winced in pain, and Lois rushed to his side and grabbed hold of him. Clark steadied himself and wrapped his good arm around his wife, bringing her in closely to him. "Are you OK?" he whispered.

"Yeah," Lois responded, quietly. She was amazed at how much comfort she found just in Clark's embrace. "I'm just so glad to see you and that you're OK."

"I hope you both know that once this baby is born, I really have no use for either of you," Lex said as he continued down the basement stairs. He turned back to them and pulled a lead box out of his pocket. "You should both follow me down here. Unless, of course, you want to see what's inside my box." He unlatched the lock and slowly lifted the lid.

Lois felt her belly cramping mildly. She grabbed the handrail of the basement stairs to steady herself and felt Clark tighten his grip on her.

"Lex, no!" Clark yelled, quickly letting go of his wife and bounding down the stairs. He slammed his hand down on the lid before it opened. "We're here, OK? There's no need for meteor rock."

Still at the top of the stairs, Lois had to hide her discomfort. She could feel it starting to dissipate, but she didn't want Lex to find out what was going on: she had just had a contraction.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Ms. Lane, I suggest you join us down here before I lose my patience," Lex's voice rang out.

"I'm coming, Lex," Lois said, waddling down the stairs. "I'm not as fast or as graceful as I used to be." She stood next to Clark, who immediately positioned himself in front of her, protectively. She held his hand and leaned into him.

"This arrangement can be as easy or as difficult as you choose to make it," Lex began. "You will do my dirty work. With all of your powers, you can get me access to the President, the Pentagon, all the money in the world, all the undiscovered diamonds and precious jewels. You will help me rise to power and riches. In return, I will keep your secret. I will keep my hands off your baby. You will go back to living your boring, old lives under the pretenses of mild-mannered reporter, and I will pretend that I know nothing about you. Do we have a deal?"

"Never," Clark growled. "I will never do your dirty work. That's not what I stand for."

"I'll give you some time to think things over," Lex said. "I think you'll change your mind. If you don't change your mind, for whatever reason, I will keep you and your wife in lock down. That baby should be making its way out soon. When it does, I will take your child. I'll raise it as my own. Seeing as how it's part alien, I will use whatever powers, he/she possesses, and raise an army. I will get what I want no matter what I have to do to get there. Do we have an understanding?" He didn't wait for a reply. He just smiled as he walked up the stairs to the basement. "Let me know when you've come around to my ways of thinking!" he called back down to them. They heard the door shut and lock click.

"That man is even more deranged than I could have imagined," Lois said, making her way over to a twin bed that she saw in the corner of the basement. She slowly lowered herself down and leaned back, supporting her weight on her hand propped behind her in order to take some of the pressure off of her aching back.

Clark frowned at the sight. "Lois, are you OK?" he asked, sitting down beside her and placing his hand on her belly.

"Oh, um, yeah," Lois lied. There was no sense in panicking Clark just yet. _Contractions could be brought on from stressful events, right? Everything about this event is stressful, _Lois silently justified her choice to herself. She decided to divert his attention off of herself. "What about you, though? Are _you_ OK? You're the one who's injured and doesn't have his powers."

"I'm fine," Clark said. "The wound hurts a little, but it's manageable. I could completely heal and have my powers restored if I could get outside and recharge with the sun, but Lex knows that's what I need, so he's not about to expose me to any sunlight. We have to find a way out of here. There's no way in hell I'm going to help Lex, and he will absolutely never lay a finger on you or our baby."

"I know," Lois said, taking his hand and interlacing her fingers in his. She gave him a warm smile. "I'm just so glad that you're here and you're OK. I was so scared when I saw the video footage of you sprawled out on the floor." She paused for a minute before continuing. "Clark, listen, what happened back at the Fortress….what I said to you….I didn't mean any of it."

Clark leaned in closer to Lois and gave her a kiss. "Don't worry about it," he assured her. "All is forgiven and forgotten."

"We have to get Lex to go back to the Fortress with us," Lois said. "Jor-El sent me back to Metropolis, but told me I had to make sure to get Lex to the Fortress, and Jor-El will see to it that he never hurts us or our family again."

"He's going to see to it that Lex can never hurt our family again? How? Is he planning on killing Lex?" Clark questioned.

"Clark, I honestly don't know what Jor-El's plans are to keep Lex away from our family forever, but what I do know is that he's a dangerous man. Smallville, I know that you would never take a life, and that you don't like seeing anybody lose their life, and your strong moral code is one thing I truly love most about you, but think about it, please. This is _Lex Luthor_," Lois emphasized. "He knows your identity, he knows that our baby is half-alien, he _knows _that a human and alien can reproduce. He _will_ build up an army from our children." Lois felt tears falling freely as her fears were coming to the surface. "We _have_ to stop him, Clark!"

"Shhh," Clark soothed, gently, wrapping his good arm around her and bringing her in close to him. He kissed the top of her head. "Lois, you and this baby are the very most important things in my life right now. There is absolutely no way I would ever let him lay a hand on you. But we can come up with some other plan that doesn't involve killing him. This is where Jor-El and I have always differed in terms of justice. We just need to think and come up with a plan. We're brilliant reporters, the two of us make a fantastic team - both in the office, and in our marriage. We can come up with a way to do this the right way without resorting to killing Lex." Clark stood up and walked over to the walls where large pieces of plywood had been nailed - obviously covering up windows. He started trying, in vain, to pull the wood off. "Arrrgghh!" he yelled out in frustration. He angrily beat his fist against the plywood.

"Clark, even if we could escape from here, what good would it do us?" Lois asked. "Lex already knows where we live and where we work. And you better believe the first thing he would do is go to the press and tell them our situation. Then every crook in the world would come after me, the baby, your mom, Chloe and Oliver, anybody they could to get to you." She stood up and immediately felt her stomach cramping. It was definitely more intense than the previous time, but not so much to make her cry out or double over. She put her hand to her belly and grimaced.

Clark's attention remained on the window. "Lois, I know you're right about -" he looked over and saw his wife in obvious discomfort. "Lois, what's wrong?" he asked, walking over to her.

She bit her lip in nervousness and let her eyes meet his. "Well, I've only had two, and they were 20 minutes apart, so it's nothing to get worked up about -" she started.

Clark's eyes widened as he realized what Lois was trying to tell him. "You're in labor," he whispered in disbelief. He stayed quiet for a minute - processing everything that was happening. "Are you OK?" he asked when I finally snapped back to reality.

"I'm fine," Lois said. "For now. Like I said, the contractions are only 20 minutes apart, and they're apparent enough for me to know they're happening, but not so much that they're causing me pain. Yet."

"OK," Clark said. "OK, good." He brought Lois in close and kissed the top of her head. "We need to do everything we can to make sure Lex doesn't find out about this."

"Clark, I don't mean to add stress to an already stressful situation, but we're living on borrowed time," Lois said. "They _will_ get more painful, and it won't be long before I'll be able to hide them."

"I know," Clark assured. "We only need to keep this situation from him for a short time. Then it won't matter."

"Why? What's your plan?" Lois asked.

"We're going to convince Lex that we need to go to the Fortress," Clark told her somberly.


	13. Chapter 13

Lex headed down to the basement an hour later with some food in hand. "Hello, hello," he said in a cheery, sing-songy voice as he bounded down the stairs. "I brought some food. You may be my prisoners right now, but Ms. Lane here needs to make sure she's staying healthy and feeding that baby plenty."

"Oh, good, I'm starving," Lois said, standing up from where she had originally been sitting on the bed. She suddenly stopped and let out a small gasp as another contraction - with a bit more intensity behind it - caught her off guard. She reached out for the wall.

"What's going on?" Lex asked.

"Oh, God," Lois groaned as the contraction peaked. "The baby moved when I stood and now I seriously have to pee," she lied, squeezing her legs together as though it would take away the discomfort of the contraction. _Hell, this isn't doing anything to take away my discomfort, but at least it's making my pee story more believable_, Lois thought to herself. _How does this happen, Lane? Only I could find myself as a hostage having to hide the fact that I'm in labor._

From where Clark stood, he felt his heart being torn in two. On the one hand, he was incredibly proud of Lois for thinking on her feet and coming up with a believable reason as to why she suddenly found walking to be so difficult. On the other hand, he wanted nothing more than to rush to her side and help her through her pain; however, he knew he couldn't do that without making Lex suspicious that something more was going on.

"Alright, alright," Lex said, looking a bit unsure at the scene playing out before him. He pulled out a gun and pointed it at Clark. "Go upstairs. You'll find a bathroom on your left at the top of the stairs. While you're gone, I'll keep your husband entertained. Just know, I only have Kryptonite bullets in here. Try anything stupid, and he dies."

"Lex, please, I'm almost 9 months pregnant. The days of me doing stupid stuff are long gone," Lois told him, in an exasperated tone.

She slowly climbed the stairs, realizing that it was more painful than she had expected. She had experienced a total of 6 contractions altogether - this last one being much more intense than any of the rest. It had also sped up to being only 17 minutes after the last one. She knew their time of hiding her labor from Lex was quickly coming to an end.

Clark watched his wife slowly climb the stairs - noticing that she was heavily leaning towards the stair rail. His heart broke. He wanted this to be the happiest time for them, and he wanted to be there comforting his wife and helping her when she was feeling too much pain or weakness to keep going herself.

"Soooo, have you two finally come to your senses and realized that you really only have one good choice in this situation?" Lex asked.

Clark sat down on the bed and hung his head in his hands, and ran his hands through his hair in nervousness. He stayed quiet for a long moment. "Lex, you've given me a terrible ultimatum. You're asking me to go against everything I believe in; all the things I have done to build up trust with the American people will disappear the first time I do some immoral, dishonorable stunt for you. I know if I don't do this, though, you will take away the people whom I love most."

Lex smiled smugly. "You understand it perfectly."

Clark looked up as he heard Lois making her way back down the stairs, knowing what he had to do. "I can't do your dirty work for you, Lex. I _won't_ do your dirty work for you." Clark watched as Lex's facial expression changed from smugness to outrage.

"You WHAT?!" Lex yelled, standing up quickly and cocking the gun.

"No, Lex, don't!" Lois yelled from her position on the staircase. She hurried her pace as much as she could.

"No, WAIT, WAIT!" Clark yelled, standing up with his hands held in a 'surrender' motion. He watched the tension in Lex's face ease up.

"You have 1 minute," Lex seethed. "Otherwise, you will die, and your wife and child are mine."

Clark heard Lois suck in a quick breath, fearing the last words she heard Lex utter.

"I won't do your dirty work for you, Lex, BUT -" Clark quickly added. "-I know how to transfer my powers to you, and you can have all the power you want."

Lex lowered the gun and his lips curled up in a wicked grin. "Your powers for your family, huh? What's the catch?"

"We would have to fly there," Clark told him. "You would have to get me out in the sun so that I can get my powers back and fly us up there." He looked over at Lois. "All of us."

"How do I know that this isn't a set-up? How do I know that once you're out in the sun you won't just fly off with your wife and go into permanent hiding?" Lex questioned.

"You know everything about me," Clark said. "You could take this to the press, or any crime organization in the world. My family would never be safe. My family's safety is the most important thing to me. So….do we have a deal? You don't lay a hand on my family, and you get my powers?"

"Hmmm, you definitely pose an interesting proposal for sure," Lex said, heading back up the stairs. "Give me some time to think this through. You know, it's never wise to make rash decisions without thoroughly weighing out the pros and cons. I'll be back." With that, he headed up the stairs and Lois and Clark heard the basement door close and lock behind him.

Clark immediately gathered up Lois in his arms. "Are you OK?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Lois assured, letting out a deep breath.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Clark asked, kissing the top of Lois' head. "You were having a painful contraction and you still were able to come up with a believable story so that Lex wasn't suspicious of anything."

Lois met his eyes and smiled at him. "A wise man once told me that my desire to protect the greater good is what makes me Lois Lane. Contractions or not, this little baby is more important than my comfort."

"Now, the question is, can you hold out until Lex makes a choice?" Clark asked.

"What choice do I have?" Lois responded.

"You'll be OK," Clark promised. "We'll get through this together."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Upstairs, Lex mulled over his options. Was this too good to be true? Clark was actually willing to give up his powers just to save his wife and child? Could Clark actually give up his powers? What if this was a set up? But on the other hand, what if it was all true? Lex could have all the power in the world. He could make every President, Prime Minister, leader of all the big countries his puppets. Why Clark had never used his abilities to rise to the top baffled Lex. As long as Lex knew Clark's secret, he knew that Clark would never do anything risky like put Lex in jail. After following Clark for so long, Lex was confident that Clark wasn't capable of any kind of immoral act, and certainly not murder, so Lex felt certain that his life wasn't in any danger if Clark went out in the sunlight and regained his powers. Lex would be sure to keep a gun on Lois during the entire flight, and also some green meteor rock would have to be hidden away in case Lex needed to bring down Clark as well.. The ability to possess Clark's powers was a very attractive idea to Lex. He couldn't pass up this opportunity. He had to explore this possibility.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Now that we know our little one is coming soon, we should really come up with a name," Lois said, as she casually walked around the basement floor.

"Mmm-hmmm," Clark distractedly agreed. Lois looked at him, and saw him nervously glancing at his watch every few seconds.

Lois walked over to him and reached her arms up to loosely hang around his neck. "Smallville. I know you're nervously awaiting my next contraction. I know you're feeling mountains of guilt right now, and you're trying to bear the weight of this entire situation on your shoulders alone, but please don't. We're in this together. I might be in labor, but it's still in the early-ish stages, and I can still help get us out of this situation. I'm here to help you, and to support you. I need you to be strong right now. Our baby needs you to be strong right now. Our situation is big, but it's Lex against Lois and Clark. Nobody can bring us down. Together, you and I are a very _super_ couple, and we're about to become a super family. Lex Luthor is smart, but we are smarter."

Clark smiled and felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders. "There's a good reason that you're my wife," he told Lois. "You always tell me exactly what I need to hear when I need to hear it. You're right. No more moping. No more guilt. You and I are in this together, and we can get through anything - as long as we're together."

Lois smiled at him and leaned up to kiss him. "Based on our little situation -" she started, looking down at her pregnant belly "- I thought that I'm your wife because you're wildly attracted to me," she teased him.

Clark grinned at her and wrapped his arms loosely around her hips while planting little kisses on her lips. "Well, that reason was a _very_ close second."

Clark felt Lois stiffen up in his arms as they heard the lock to the basement door turn and the door open. Clark's eyes darted away from Lois to the door.

"I've reached my decision," Lex announced, as he walked down the stairs.

"Oh, God," Lois whispered. Clark felt her squeeze his hand tighter. He looked over at her face, and saw his wife's face contorting in pain. "Contraction!" she hissed at him.

Clark knew that it was up to him to make sure Lex didn't catch on to the pain Lois was in. They had to make it to the Fortress without Lex knowing that Lois was in labor.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Once again, I apologize that it took me SOOOO long to get this next chapter put out. I haven't abandoned this story at all as I am determined to finish it and finish it well! I've had a major case of Writer's Block, and it just took me awhile to get back into my groove. If anyone is still following this story, I really appreciate it! I read every single comment and I truly appreciate you taking the time to give me any kind of feedback. Hope you enjoy this next chapter. I'm hoping to end it on chapter 15 - maybe 16, but it's definitely close to being the end :) **

Lex approached Clark and Lois. Lois was standing behind Clark, gripping the back of Clark's shirt in her fist, trying not to give Lex any indication that she was in labor and having a contraction. As Lex got close, Clark shifted his body so that Lois wasn't visible to Lex whatsoever. He was trying his best to keep Lex from seeing that Lois was having a contraction. To Lex's eyes, it looked like Clark was just being overprotective of his wife. Lex smirked. "Stand down, Kent," Lex said in a mocking tone. "You don't have to protect your wife from me. As I've said before, with that baby inside of her, I have no intention of harming her."

"Lex, in just the last 9 months since you've re-emerged, you've stalked us, murdered a man, shot me with Kryptonite, lured my very pregnant wife out of hiding, and are now holding us as prisoners," Clark scoffed. "I think I'll continue standing here, and keeping her away from you." Behind him, Clark could feel Lois' grip on his shirt tightening. Knowing she was in pain, and having to mask it just made Clark even more determined to make sure that Lex accepted his deal to get them up to the Fortress. That was the only way that Clark could ensure Lois', and their unborn baby's, safety. Clark could hear Lois' breathing turn into a heavy _inhale_ and _exhale_ as she continued breathing through her contraction. Lex must have heard it, too, because he attempted to peer around Clark with an eyebrow raised. "So, Lex," Clark said quickly, attempting to diffuse Lex's attention away from Lois. "What have you decided about my powers? Do you want them for yourself?"

Lex was paying no attention. It was clear that Lois' breathing had sparked his attention. "Ms. Lane, I would love for you to weigh in on this. How do you feel about your 'super' husband suddenly becoming an ordinary man, and giving his powers away?"

Behind Clark, Lois leaned her head against Clark's shoulder. _Crap. He's onto me, _Lois thought to herself.

"Lex, this is about you and me," Clark interjected as he puffed out his chest slightly. His voice turned menacing. "Leave my wife out of this."

Lois drew in a sharp breath. Her baby's life depended on this. "No, Clark, it's OK," she said, slightly stepping out from behind Clark, but continuing to keep a tight grip on his hand. "I'll answer his question." She squeezed Clark's hand as her contraction intensified. _Why the hell does THIS contraction have to be so strong? _she thought to herself. She could feel Clark gently squeeze her hand and rub his thumb on her hand, encouragingly. She knew she could muster the strength to keep up the facade that she was fine with her husband beside her.

"Well? I'm waiting," Lex told her.

Lois' eyes narrowed on Lex's. She made sure her voice was strong before answering him. "Clark Kent is the most selfless and giving man I've ever met. He would do anything to protect his loved ones, and I am proud of the sacrifices and choices that he makes everyday." Lois eased up her grip on Clark's hand, letting him know that her contraction was finally letting up. "Even with his powers, you will never half of the man that Clark is."

"Don't worry, Ms. Lane," Lex gloated. "I don't intend on ever being in the same category with your husband." An evil gleam came into his eye. "I plan to be _better_." He smirked at them. "Now, how do we get me your powers?"

"There's a Fortress in the Arctic where I go to talk to my Kryptonian father. He can transfer my powers to you," Clark informed him.

"The Arctic?" Lex asked, contemplating this idea. "How do I know that you won't leave me up there to freeze to death, or die? If I give you back your power, I don't know that I trust you enough to not take me up there and kill me."

"Because I'm not a murderer," Clark said seriously. "You already know that I'm Superman, and you should know that Superman stands for truth, justice, and the American way."

"A wholesome hero?" Lex asked skeptically. He paced the room. He came to a stop in front of the couple, cupping his chin with his index finger and chin as if in deep contemplation. "I mean, the idea of being the most powerful being on the planet is definitely very attractive to me…." he began. "...but part of me still thinks it would be a safer bet to just wait out that baby's arrival and raise up my own _super_ child."

"Like hell you will," Clark responded. "You will never lay one hand on my baby or my wife."

Lex ignored Clark. He looked Lois up and down. "Are you feeling better now, Ms. Lane? You didn't look so well just a minute ago."

"Oh sure, never better," Lois answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "It's just stress." Her eyes narrowed on Lex, and she glared at him. "Gee, I wonder what could be causing so much stress to me and _my_ baby."

Lex's eyes flashed with anger, and he balled up his fist, and drew it back as though he might punch Lois.

He was stopped from hitting Lois as Clark quickly intercepted Lex's fist and pinned him against the wall with Clark's hand to Lex's throat. "You touch my wife, or hurt my wife in any way, and my morals and values will disappear, and we will have no deal," Clark growled in Lex's ear. "And just so you know, that is not a threat. That is a promise."

Lex shoved Clark off of him, and straightened his shirt in disgust as he headed up the basement steps. "Kent, you need to teach your woman how to control her mouth. I'd hate to see that mouth of hers get her into serious trouble…..or even killed. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to get before we leave for the Arctic. Fifteen minutes and then I will be on my way to becoming the most powerful man in the world!" With that, the basement door slammed shut and the couple heard it lock.

At the sound of the door locking, Clark immediately gathered Lois in his strong arms and embraced her. "Are you OK?"

"Clark, I'm doing OK," Lois said with a reassuring smile. "Was that a painful contraction? Yes. Was it difficult to talk though that contraction? Yes. Am I OK? Yes!" Clark smiled a relieved smile at her. "We're doing great, Smallville. Yes, he was onto me for a minute, but the two of us together made him believe that it was all stress-induced. Hell, even in labor, I can shoot my mouth enough that he almost punched me in the face." Clark grinned at her. "We just need to keep up the facade for 15 more minutes. Once we get to the Fortress, this nightmare will all be behind us."

"You. Are. Incredible," Clark told her with a smile on his face.

"Nah," Lois said, nonchalantly. "_We_ are incredible. Together. You and me."

Clark leaned down and put his hand to her cheek while keeping one arm around her back and brought her in close. He dipped his head down and his lips met hers in a tender kiss. "You're right," he said when they finally pulled apart. "_We _are incredible. We make a hell of a team, and we almost are out of this nightmare. Then we can finally focus on what's really important." He let go of Lois and squatted down to be eye-level with her belly. "Hang out in there just a few more minutes, little one," he whispered softly to her belly. "We'll get you out as soon as it's safe." He stood back up. "You wanna sit down for a bit before we head out of here?"

"Yeah, sitting sounds really good," Lois told him. Clark took her hand and gently led her over to the bed in the basement and helped her sit down.

"So, about those names you brought up earlier?" Clark started. "Got any good ideas?"

"Something that honors family," Lois said confidently. "Like if we had a little boy, I thought about the name Jonathan. Or maybe even the name Jordan after Jor-El. The name Jordan can be a boy's name or a girl's name."

"I like it," Clark said, smiling. "I know my father would be very honored to know we named our son after him. What about the name Ella for a girl? That way we could honor the El side of my family, and your mom, Ellen?"

"Ella," Lois repeated thoughtfully. A big smile came across her face. "I love it." She let her body fall into Clark's as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she let out a contented sigh. "My mom would have absolutely loved you, Smallville. She probably would never believe that her sarcastic, stubborn oldest child found the most mild-mannered, kind and loving man that the world has ever known to fall in love with, marry, and have babies with." Lois let out a small chuckle. "Sometimes I have a hard time believing it myself, and yet there's absolutely nothing about my life that I would change."

"Me neither," Clark told her, kissing the top of her head. "I mean, I wish we weren't trapped in Lex Luthor's basement while you're in labor, but…." he grinned at her and let his voice trail off.

"...but that's not the life that you signed up for when you asked me to be your wife," Lois finished for him. She shifted uncomfortably in her spot. "How much longer until Lex is supposed to come back?"

Clark checked his watch. "He should be back in about five minutes. Why do you ask?"

"OK, good," Lois exhaled while squirming. Clark instinctively held out his hand which she gratefully took hold of. "Because I'm having another contraction."

Clark looked at his watch again and did some quick mental math. "They've sped up again. Only 12 minutes since your last one."

"Mmmm-hmmm," Lois answered distractedly.

"Hey at least this time you don't have to pretend that you're not having a contraction, right?" Clark asked, trying to get Lois' mind off the pain she was experiencing. He felt her grasp on his hand tightening.

"Mmmm, yup - silver - silver lining," Lois huffed out. She squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She put her chin down on her chest and took some deep breaths. "Mmmm!" she groaned.

"Sooo, when we were discussing the birth plan, we failed to discuss the possibility of you laboring in a basement where Lex Luthor had kidnapped us, held us as hostage, and stripped me of all my abilities," Clark said, as he continued to try to humor Lois in an effort to take her mind off of her contractions.

Lois smiled at him. Her response was staccatoed as her contraction peaked. "Yeah - that was - stupid on our part, huh?"

"I mean, who else could find themselves in this situation except for Lois and Clark?" Clark joked with her.

"We are truly - one of - a kind," Lois said. She took a few deep breaths and put her hand to the side of her belly. "Oh my God," she softly groaned out. "That one is over." She looked over at her husband and smiled. "Thanks for distracting me through it."

"I wish I could do more," Clark said. They both turned their heads as they heard the basement door unlock and open.

"You're about to get us out of here," Lois whispered excitedly to him.

Clark gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as Lex Luthor made his way down the stairs and over towards them. Lex had a big grin on his face.

"Let's go make me the most powerful man in the world," Lex said, an evil smile plastered on his face.


End file.
